Yuval Noah Harari

It's the same thing with economics. People think, oh, economics, this is rational. It has nothing to do with fictional stories. No, money is the most successful story ever told, much more successful than any religious mythology. Not everybody believes in God or in the same God. Almost everybody believes in money, even though it's just a figment of our imagination.

You know, you take these green pieces of paper, dollars, they have no value. You can't eat them, you can't drink them. And today, most dollars are not even pieces of paper. They are just electronic information passing between computers. We value them just for one reason, that you have the best storytellers in the world.

You know, you take these green pieces of paper, dollars, they have no value. You can't eat them, you can't drink them. And today, most dollars are not even pieces of paper. They are just electronic information passing between computers. We value them just for one reason, that you have the best storytellers in the world.

You know, you take these green pieces of paper, dollars, they have no value. You can't eat them, you can't drink them. And today, most dollars are not even pieces of paper. They are just electronic information passing between computers. We value them just for one reason, that you have the best storytellers in the world.

The bankers, the finance ministers, all these people, they are the best storytellers ever. And they tell us a story that this green little piece of paper or this bit of information, it is worth a banana. And as long as everybody believes it, it works.

The bankers, the finance ministers, all these people, they are the best storytellers ever. And they tell us a story that this green little piece of paper or this bit of information, it is worth a banana. And as long as everybody believes it, it works.

The bankers, the finance ministers, all these people, they are the best storytellers ever. And they tell us a story that this green little piece of paper or this bit of information, it is worth a banana. And as long as everybody believes it, it works.

It's like with money. You know, if you start a new cryptocurrency, if you're the only one that believes the story, I mean, again, cryptocurrencies, you have the math, of course, but ultimately it's storytelling. You're selling people a story. If nobody believes your story, You don't have anything.

It's like with money. You know, if you start a new cryptocurrency, if you're the only one that believes the story, I mean, again, cryptocurrencies, you have the math, of course, but ultimately it's storytelling. You're selling people a story. If nobody believes your story, You don't have anything.

It's like with money. You know, if you start a new cryptocurrency, if you're the only one that believes the story, I mean, again, cryptocurrencies, you have the math, of course, but ultimately it's storytelling. You're selling people a story. If nobody believes your story, You don't have anything.

But if lots of people believe the Bitcoin story, then Bitcoin can be worth thousands and tens of thousands of dollars. Again, why? I mean, you can't eat it. You can't drink it. It's nothing. It's the story around the math, which is the real magic.

But if lots of people believe the Bitcoin story, then Bitcoin can be worth thousands and tens of thousands of dollars. Again, why? I mean, you can't eat it. You can't drink it. It's nothing. It's the story around the math, which is the real magic.

But if lots of people believe the Bitcoin story, then Bitcoin can be worth thousands and tens of thousands of dollars. Again, why? I mean, you can't eat it. You can't drink it. It's nothing. It's the story around the math, which is the real magic.

It's an interesting idea. There are two opposite things to say about it. On the one hand, yes, absolutely. If you look long-term in history, it's all the people die. It's the stories that compete and survive and spread. And stories often spread by making people willing to sacrifice sometimes their lives for the story. You know, we're now in Israel.

It's an interesting idea. There are two opposite things to say about it. On the one hand, yes, absolutely. If you look long-term in history, it's all the people die. It's the stories that compete and survive and spread. And stories often spread by making people willing to sacrifice sometimes their lives for the story. You know, we're now in Israel.

It's an interesting idea. There are two opposite things to say about it. On the one hand, yes, absolutely. If you look long-term in history, it's all the people die. It's the stories that compete and survive and spread. And stories often spread by making people willing to sacrifice sometimes their lives for the story. You know, we're now in Israel.

This is one of the most important story factories in human history. And this is a place where people still kill each other every day over stories. I don't know. You've been to Jerusalem, right? So people say, ah, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Jerusalem. You go there. I've lived in Jerusalem much of my life. You go there. It's an ordinary place. You know, it's a town. You have buildings. You have stones.

This is one of the most important story factories in human history. And this is a place where people still kill each other every day over stories. I don't know. You've been to Jerusalem, right? So people say, ah, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Jerusalem. You go there. I've lived in Jerusalem much of my life. You go there. It's an ordinary place. You know, it's a town. You have buildings. You have stones.

This is one of the most important story factories in human history. And this is a place where people still kill each other every day over stories. I don't know. You've been to Jerusalem, right? So people say, ah, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Jerusalem. You go there. I've lived in Jerusalem much of my life. You go there. It's an ordinary place. You know, it's a town. You have buildings. You have stones.

You have trees. You have dogs and cats and pedestrians. It's a regular place. But then you have the stories about the place. Oh, this is the place where God revealed himself. This is the place where Jesus was. This is the place where Muhammad was. And it's the stories that people fight over. Nobody's fighting over the stones. People are fighting about the stories about the stones.