Building Pyramids — Imagined Orders, Social Hierarchies, and the Power of Myth Explained | Chapter 6 from Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

How did early agricultural societies transform not only the way we lived, but the way we thought? In Chapter 6 of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Yuval Noah Harari explores the revolutionary impact of farming on the human psyche, the origins of social hierarchies, and the vital role of imagined orders in organizing mass cooperation.

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From Foragers to Farmers: The Psychological Revolution

The Agricultural Revolution was not just a change in technology, but a transformation in human psychology and society. Where foragers lived communally and moved frequently, farmers developed deep attachment to private land and homes, fostering new anxieties over the future—weather, harvests, and survival. This shift led to record-keeping, planning, and the birth of bureaucracy.

Hierarchy, Surplus, and the Birth of Elites

With agricultural surpluses came the rise of elites—small groups who consumed the excess labor of the many. Monumental architecture, such as pyramids, symbolized not only wealth and power but the consolidation of social hierarchies. The myth of mass cooperation often masked the reality of elite control and growing inequality.

The Power of Imagined Orders

Harari explains that large-scale human societies cannot function on brute force alone. Instead, they rely on “imagined orders”—shared myths like divine rights, justice, human rights, and capitalism. The Code of Hammurabi and the Declaration of Independence both claim to reflect eternal truths but are, in reality, shared fictions designed to organize and motivate large groups.

Through the concept of inter-subjective reality, Harari shows how money, nations, and corporations exist only in our collective imagination. These shared beliefs are what enable mass cooperation, bureaucracy, and enduring institutions.

No Escape from Myth: Choosing Our Stories

Even revolutions and new ideologies are, at their core, attempts to replace one imagined order with another. Myths shape everything from architecture and education to fashion and travel. Harari suggests that there is no truly “mythless” society—every civilization is governed by the stories it chooses to believe.

Conclusion: The Pyramids We Build Today

Chapter 6 of Sapiens invites us to reflect on the power of shared beliefs in shaping history. The imagined orders and social structures born from the Agricultural Revolution continue to influence our modern lives, from nations and corporations to human rights and money. For more critical analysis and chapter summaries, watch the video above and subscribe to Last Minute Lecture!

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