Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow · Life on Paper
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We might think that the written word is merely used to gently describe reality, yet it has gradually become immensely powerful because it is capable of reshaping reality. If an official report conflicts with objective reality, it is often reality that yields in the end. As long as you have dealt with tax authorities, education systems, or other cumbersome bureaucracies, you know that almost no one cares about the truth; what is written on the form is what matters more.…
As bureaucratic systems grasp more and more power, they become unmoved even by their own mistakes. At this point, they no longer change the story to fit reality; instead, they alter reality to conform to the story they have written. Eventually, external reality aligns with the fantasies of these bureaucrats, but it is all because reality is forced to make this change.
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In fact, the power of human cooperation networks depends on the subtle balance between reality and fiction. If reality is distorted too much, power is weakened, rendering you unable to defeat opponents who can perceive reality clearly; yet, to effectively strengthen organizational power, one must still rely on those fictional myths. If you insist that everything must be 100% real and absolutely refuse to add any fiction, you certainly will not have many followers.