Many philosophers have established that large-scale human cooperations, such as the state, judicial systems, churches, and business firms, thrive on common myths, such as legal myths, religious myths, and corporate myths. For instance, two lawyers who have never met can nevertheless combine efforts to defend a complete stranger because they both believe in the existence of laws, justice, and human rights—all these are common myths or fiction. 

For the purposes of this debate, common myths are ideologies that lack empirical basis and are accepted ubiquitously.