奇创岛

From «Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind»

Create Your 'Fictional Narrative' Obedience Portrait

Using Harari's framework from *Sapiens* that 'fictional narratives enable large-scale cooperation among Homo sapiens,' you'll inventory which 'imagined orders' you've most obediently followed in the past year—such as credential worship, corporate hierarchy, consumer symbols, national identity, relationship narratives, definitions of success, and wealth standards—and draw a personal ideological map to see clearly which narratives control your decisions, which come from genuine needs, and which are just internalized collective imagination.

Final work

A 'My Fictional Narrative Obedience Portrait'

Estimated time

45–90 min

Submitted

…

Your final work

Purpose:Identify 3–5 'fictional stories' you currently deeply believe in—whether from family, education, media, or peers—evaluate which are worth continuing to obey, which can be renegotiated, and build a clear awareness of your own belief system.

Parts:

  • 3–5 fictional narratives I currently deeply believe in (named specifically, not vague concepts)
  • Source tracing for each narrative: family inheritance / school education / media input / peer pressure / social rituals
  • Specific control scenarios for each narrative in my life (at least one real decision case)
  • Results of the 'Four Questions to Identify Fictional Stories' self-check
  • Distinction between imagined order vs. natural order: which are social constructs, which have material basis
  • My narrative evaluation: worth continuing to obey / can be renegotiated / want to loosen
  • A moment of 'admitting ignorance': a belief I'm unsure about but have never acknowledged

Use cases:

  • · Use as a self-check before major decisions: is this choice driven by genuine need or narrative inertia?
  • · Use to discuss with partners or family whether the stories each of you believe are compatible or conflicting
  • · Use for deep reflection during life transitions like career changes, relationship rebuilding, or adjusting consumption habits
  • · Use for content creators and educators to understand their own narrative biases and enhance authenticity in expression

Pick a topic

Pick the topic closest to you, or write a custom one when you submit.

Personal Life

Learning / Growth

Family / Parenting

Work / Projects

Communication / Relationships

Society / Public

Tools you'll use from the book

Four Questions to Identify Fictional Stories

Harari points out that the hallmark of an 'imagined order' is that its value depends on collective belief to exist. Four questions: ① If no one believed in this narrative, would its value disappear immediately? ② Did I arrive at this belief through my own observation, or was I taught it? ③ Is there social punishment for questioning this narrative? ④ Who benefits most from this narrative?

How to use it here:

Run each narrative you identify through these four questions. The more 'yes' answers, the more likely the narrative is a fictional social construct rather than a genuinely internalized need.

Boundaries:

The four questions are an identification tool, not a verdict that 'fictional = wrong.' Some fictional narratives (like laws, currency) are essential for society to function; the goal of identification is to choose consciously, not to reject everything.

Imagined Order vs. Natural Order Distinction

Harari distinguishes two types of facts: 'objective facts' (exist even if no one believes them, like gravity) and 'imagined orders' (exist only in collective belief, like the value of money). Natural orders come from physical and biological laws; imagined orders come from human fictional narratives.

How to use it here:

For each narrative you deeply believe, ask: If you transplanted it to a civilization unfamiliar with this narrative (e.g., hunter-gatherers 10,000 years ago), would it still hold? If not, it's an imagined order; if yes, it's a natural order.

Boundaries:

This tool is only for classification, not moral judgment. 'Imagined order' does not equal 'should be abandoned'—distinguishing just helps you see more clearly what you are obeying.

Story Source Tracing Method

Every 'narrative I deeply believe' has a source: family intergenerational transmission (parents' values silently instilled), school education (cognitive frameworks implicitly shaped by curricula), media input (images continuously reinforced by news, ads, entertainment), peer pressure (perception of 'everyone else...' created by peer reference groups), and social rituals (weddings, graduations, festivals that reinforce collective narratives).

How to use it here:

For each narrative you identify, mark its main source. Pay special attention: the more 'self-evident and needing no explanation' a belief feels, the more likely it comes from your earliest, most unconsciously internalized family or educational narratives.

Boundaries:

Source analysis is a tool for understanding, not for blame-shifting. Knowing where a narrative comes from does not mean 'it's all my family's fault'—how you ultimately handle the narrative is still your choice.

Three Steps to Admit Ignorance

Harari believes the core breakthrough of the scientific revolution was 'admitting we don't know'—this attitude can also be applied to self-knowledge. Three steps to admit ignorance: ① Name 'the belief I'm unsure about but have been pretending to be certain of' ② Acknowledge 'I don't know if this belief is true; I've just been acting on it' ③ Pause one 'automatic decision driven by this belief' and observe what happens.

How to use it here:

After completing your narrative portrait, use the 'admitting ignorance' perspective to find the one belief in your portrait that you are 'most certain about but have least verified,' then do a genuine written self-check using the three steps.

Boundaries:

Admitting ignorance does not mean 'being uncertain about everything'—the goal is to identify which certainties are verified and which are just 'assumptions that have never been challenged.' Admitting ignorance about all beliefs can lead to paralysis.

Imagined Order Quality Assessment

Harari distinguishes the 'internal quality of imagined orders'—not all fictional narratives are equally harmful or beneficial. Assessment dimensions: ① Does this narrative benefit more people or exploit more people? ② Is it open (allows questioning and revision) or closed (questioning is punished)? ③ Are its costs honestly presented or systematically hidden? ④ When you obey it, is it out of genuine认同 or because you have no choice?

How to use it here:

Score each narrative you identify on the four dimensions (simple high/medium/low is fine). The purpose of scoring is not to label narratives as 'good/bad,' but to help you see clearly: Are you obeying a narrative you don't actually agree with? Or are you resisting a narrative that might actually benefit you?

Boundaries:

Don't use this tool to make a 'negative evaluation list'—the goal of the portrait is clarity, not generating total negation or nihilism about your society. Similarly, don't over-defend narratives you don't agree with.

Work rules

Your work MUST include

  • At least 3 specific narratives you currently truly believe in (not vague statements like 'I believe in hard work,' but specific: 'I believe people without a stable job by age 30 are irresponsible')
  • Source tracing for each narrative (family / education / media / peers / rituals)
  • At least one real control case for each narrative in your life (a specific decision, not vague description)
  • Complete self-check using the 'Four Questions to Identify Fictional Stories' on at least one narrative
  • Classification of 'imagined order vs. natural order': which are social constructs, which have material basis
  • Your narrative evaluation conclusions: worth continuing to obey / can be renegotiated / want to loosen (at least one of each)
  • A moment of 'admitting ignorance': a belief you're unsure about but have never acknowledged

Your work CANNOT just be

  • Cannot be written as a social analysis of 'what people generally believe'—must be first-person throughout, your own narrative
  • Cannot just list narrative names without specific scenarios—each narrative must have at least one real decision case that happened to you
  • Cannot confuse 'I identified a fictional narrative' with 'I am already free from it'—identification is not liberation
  • Cannot completely negate all beliefs—some 'imagined orders' have reasonable value; the portrait should show complexity
  • Cannot let AI fabricate or infer your beliefs—all narratives must come from your genuine memories and self-reflection

AI can help you here

Round 1: Help me identify the fictional narratives I deeply believe in

When to use: You know you need to do this route, but you don't know where to dig out the narratives you truly believe in—they are often too 'obvious' to notice.

I'm using '{{book title}}' to complete the '{{route name}}' project, aiming to identify and draw my personal 'fictional narrative' obedience portrait.

I need help: I know Harari says 'imagined orders' control people's behavior, but I'm not sure which specific narratives I deeply believe in—because the deepest beliefs are often the most 'obvious' and hard to see.

My basic info:
[Fill in: age range, career status, important decisions in the past year that made you anxious or unclear why you made them (e.g., changing jobs, getting married, buying a house, spending, learning investments)]

Please help me:
1. Based on my info, guess 3–4 'fictional narratives' I might deeply believe in (ask as questions, don't conclude for me)
2. For each guess, provide an 'identification test question'—if my reaction to this question is defensive or emotional, that's likely where the real belief lies
3. Explain why the more 'self-evident' a belief is, the more worth examining with Harari's framework
4. Give me a method to trace beliefs backward from 'a recent decision that made me emotional'

Yellow placeholders need you to fill in before using the AI.

AI can help you organize ideas, but cannot make final judgments for you. Don't let AI fabricate experiences, cases, or misleading content.

Round 2: Help me dig deeper into the source and mechanism of a narrative

When to use: You've identified a specific narrative and want to use Harari's framework to break down where it comes from and how it controls you.

The project I chose is '{{route name}}' from '{{book title}}'.

The narrative I identified is:
{{topic}}

I want to dig deeper into this narrative. Please help me:

1. Use the 'imagined order vs. natural order' framework to analyze: which part of this narrative has a material basis, and which part is purely collective imagination?
2. Use the 'story source tracing method' to help me identify: which of family inheritance, school education, media input, peer pressure, or social rituals does this narrative come from? What are the reinforcement mechanisms for each?
3. Use the 'Four Questions to Identify Fictional Stories' to create a template answer for this narrative, helping me see where to find the answer to each question
4. Remind me: what is the most common 'self-deception' when analyzing this narrative (e.g., mistaking 'identifying the narrative' for 'already being free from it')

Note: Don't conclude for me whether this narrative is 'right' or 'wrong'—just help me see its structure and source clearly.

Yellow placeholders need you to fill in before using the AI.

AI can help you organize ideas, but cannot make final judgments for you. Don't let AI fabricate experiences, cases, or misleading content.

Round 3: Help me check if the portrait is genuine and deep

When to use: You've finished your first draft of the fictional narrative portrait and want to confirm it's not superficial before submitting.

I'm submitting a project work on Shufang Island.

Book: '{{book title}}'
Route: {{route name}}
Core narrative I identified: {{topic}}

My draft work:
{{draft work}}

Please check against the following criteria:
1. Is the narrative specific enough—is it a genuine first-person belief ('I believe X means Y') or a vague buzzword ('I believe in hard work')?
2. Is the source tracing deep—is it a real memory scene or a generic 'family influence'?
3. Are the control cases real—does each narrative have a real decision case, not 'people usually...'?
4. Is the 'four questions' self-check honest—did you avoid any question or give defensive answers?
5. Is the 'imagined vs. natural' classification clear—did you confuse purely biological laws with social constructs?
6. Does the evaluation section have depth—do 'worth continuing / renegotiate / loosen' have specific reasons, not empty phrases like 'I feel I need to change'?
7. Is the overall tone healthy—is it clear awareness (Harari's goal) or sliding into nihilism or self-attack?

Please output:
- Overall evaluation (1–3 sentences)
- The most genuine and valuable part (specifically point it out)
- The parts that most need deepening (in priority order)
- Is there any narrative worth writing an 'admitting ignorance' moment for?
- Suggested structure for the revised portrait

Yellow placeholders need you to fill in before using the AI.

AI can help you organize ideas, but cannot make final judgments for you. Don't let AI fabricate experiences, cases, or misleading content.

Submit my work