An imagined order is a concept generally agreed upon which exists as a function of language. Yuval Noah Harari points out that whereas a lion or a tree exists objectively, most of the things we care about—gods, nations, laws, rights, and duties—only exist because of the stories people tell each...
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other about them. It is our ability to believe in these imagined orders that allows us to cooperate on a massive scale and rule the world.
There are vast numbers of imagined orders in human society. Take money as an example. Of course, there are physical objects—notes and coins—which are used as currency, but they derive their value from the imagined order of money. Without this, a banknote would simply be a colored piece of paper and there would be no reason to accept it in exchange for goods or services. It is the concept of money that allows people to agree on its worth and cooperate to use it.
In Sapiens, what does the author mean by “An imagined order,” and how does this concept relate to the functions of language? Provide an example to illustrate what an imagined order is.
Harari uses the term "imagined order," and also "secondary reality," to describe phenomena which are imagined—fictitious—yet have a substantial effect on the masses' working lives. Classic examples are the concepts of money, humanitarian rights, religion, or nations.
An example which uses language very effectively to entrench and reinforce its existence is the legal system. In reality, there is no such thing as a law, or a right, or guilt. Laws are represented by pieces of paper, rights by public acknowledgement and printed bills, and guilt by prison sentences.
Yet for a legal system to be effective, it must not be questioned; it requires authority. Through the use and development of language—jurisprudent and legal jargon, specific terminologies, and so on—the institution of Law places itself above the minds of laypeople. In a sense, legal institutions have created their own language in order to be accessible to the non-elites.
We believe in them and the authority they hold, and therefore they exist as imagined orders.