Previously published as Ruled by the Imaginary by Randolph Braigan
New Edition - Revised and Expanded
Most of what governs your life does not exist.
Nations. Religions. Money. Institutions. Status.
These things are not part of the natural world. They are stories, symbols and shared beliefs created by human beings. Yet they shape our identities, organise society, command loyalty and determine what is right, what is valuable and who belongs.
Human beings are often described as homo sapiens - the wise human. But we might be better understood as homo narrans - the storytelling human. We create imagined realities and then live inside them together.
Imaginary explores how these symbolic systems emerged, why they became so powerful and why they continue to dominate human life. Drawing on history, anthropology, sociology and psychology, it examines religion, political systems, institutions, social status and identity, revealing how they coordinate societies on a massive scale while also constraining the individuals who live within them.
Why do some people find meaning, certainty and belonging within these systems, while others experience unease, alienation or a persistent sense that something is not quite real?
And how should life be lived once these systems are seen clearly for what they are, but cannot be escaped?
Neither manifesto nor self-help guide, Imaginary offers a clear-eyed exploration of the stories and symbols that rule our world, and a reflection on how to live with authenticity and integrity within them - maintaining what is necessary, discarding what is not, and holding on to what is true and real.
