Actually this explains even better than I can, why Matiases “we” model posted the other day is so misguided. There are of course two “we” the small we, family and friends, which must be common to all social animals because it would be impossible to function socially without it, and the larger “we” community, state, religion etc. which are part of the big fictions. They can only therefore follow after language and the beginnings of culture, and not before, the “we” being a development of the fictions and not their creator.

We think we control this world but in the end it will be the victor. Unfortunately, it is our large and increasing numbers that are conflicting with our collective corporating . We are not talking about tens of thousands but billions and those billions are starting to reduce the planets resources to a dangerous level. Yes, to a point fictional stories shaped our past history. But if they were to continue to shape our history the history will all be in the past tense. We need to get away from fiction and move on to reality. This was not covered and, therefore, told me nothing I already didn’t know.

This is the single most important truth which everyone should understand, the source of both all we have and all our curses. I have never seen a better or more important video on line, everybody should watch this. We gain so much simply, because evolution by natural selection has no foresight, and therefore it could not have planned for the effects of the biggest change in our environment which ever happened, the invention of abstract language, which enabled us not only to invent better fictions but also to spread them far and wide. If it had been able to foresee that, then the short term losses to the indivdual that following fictions cause, would have prevented the whole developement of human culture.

A dialogue between Death (yes the grim reaper itself) and her granddaughter (by adoption... is complicated) about lies on the book Hoghfather (a kind of Santa Claus in that universe)

“All right," said Susan. "I'm not stupid. You're saying humans need... fantasies to make life bearable."

REALLY? AS IF IT WAS SOME KIND OF PINK PILL? NO. HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.

"Tooth fairies? Hogfathers? Little—"

YES. AS PRACTICE. YOU HAVE TO START OUT LEARNING TO BELIEVE THE LITTLE LIES.

"So we can believe the big ones?"

YES. JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING.

"They're not the same at all!"

YOU THINK SO? THEN TAKE THE UNIVERSE AND GRIND IT DOWN TO THE FINEST POWDER AND SIEVE IT THROUGH THE FINEST SIEVE AND THEN SHOW ME ONE ATOM OF JUSTICE, ONE MOLECULE OF MERCY. AND YET—Death waved a hand. AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME...SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED.

"Yes, but people have got to believe that, or what's the point—"

MY POINT EXACTLY.”
― Terry Pratchett, Hogfather

Humans or sapiens have proven to be the more successful predator. Knocked off all the other similar species and are now left with beating up on each other.