{"product_id":"imaginary-the-stories-and-symbols-that-rule-us-and-how-to-survive-them-9798199928472","title":"Imaginary: The stories and symbols that rule us - and how to survive them","description":"\u003cp\u003e • Author(s): David Cameron\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher: Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher Imprint: Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e • BISAC: Anthropology - Cultural \u0026amp; Social\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePreviously published as \u003ci\u003eRuled by the Imaginary\u003c\/i\u003e by Randolph Braigan\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eNew Edition - Revised and Expanded\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMost of what governs your life does not exist.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNations. Religions. Money. Institutions. Status.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHuman beings are often described as \u003ci\u003ehomo sapiens\u003c\/i\u003e - the wise human. But we might be better understood as \u003ci\u003ehomo narrans\u003c\/i\u003e - the storytelling human. We create imagined realities and then live inside them together.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eImaginary \u003c\/i\u003eexplores 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhy 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?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd how should life be lived once these systems are seen clearly for what they are, but cannot be escaped?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNeither manifesto nor self-help guide, \u003ci\u003eImaginary\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Independently Published","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47968347586711,"sku":"9798199928472","price":1717.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0666\/3471\/1191\/files\/9798199928472.webp?v=1782917633","url":"https:\/\/atlanticbooks.com\/products\/imaginary-the-stories-and-symbols-that-rule-us-and-how-to-survive-them-9798199928472","provider":"Atlantic Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}