Humankind: A Hopeful History
Rutger Bregman, 2020
Little Brown & Company
480 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780316418539
Summary
If there is one belief that has united the left and the right, psychologists and philosophers, ancient thinkers and modern ones, it is the tacit assumption that humans are bad.
It's a notion that drives newspaper headlines and guides the laws that shape our lives. From Machiavelli to Hobbes, Freud to Pinker, the roots of this belief have sunk deep into Western thought.
Human beings, we're taught, are by nature selfish and governed primarily by self-interest.
But what if it isn't true?
International bestseller Rutger Bregman provides new perspective on the past 200,000 years of human history, setting out to prove that we are hardwired for kindness, geared toward cooperation rather than competition, and more inclined to trust rather than distrust one another. In fact this instinct has a firm evolutionary basis going back to the beginning of Homo sapiens.
From the real-life Lord of the Flies to the solidarity in the aftermath of the Blitz, the hidden flaws in the Stanford prison experiment to the true story of twin brothers on opposite sides who helped Mandela end apartheid, Bregman shows us that believing in human generosity and collaboration isn't merely optimistic—it's realistic.
Moreover, it has huge implications for how society functions. When we think the worst of people, it brings out the worst in our politics and economics.
But if we believe in the reality of humanity's kindness and altruism, it will form the foundation for achieving true change in society, a case that Bregman makes convincingly with his signature wit, refreshing frankness, and memorable storytelling. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—1988
• Where—Renesse, Netherlands
• Education—B.A., Utrecht University; M.A., Utrecht and University of California-Berkeley
• Awards—Liberales Book Award
• Currently—Netherlands
Rutger C. Bregman is a Dutch popular historian and author. He has published four books on history, philosophy, and economics, including
Bregman earned his BA in history at Utrecht University and his MA in history in, partly at Utrecht and partly at the University of California, Los Angeles. As a student, he was a member of Christian student association SSR-NU.
Career
After school, Bregman considered a career as an academic historian, but instead he began working as a journalist. He wrote regularly for the online journal De Correspondent and was twice nominated for the European Press Prize for his work there.
Bregman is the author of Humankind: A History of Hope (2020); Utopia for Realists: How We Can Build the Ideal World (2017), which has been translated into thirty-two languages; and The History of Progress (2013), for which he received the annual book award from the think tank Liberales for the most remarkable Dutch-language non-fiction book.
His work has been featured in The Washington Post, The Guardian and the BBC. He has been described by The Guardian as the "Dutch wunderkind of new ideas" and by TED Talks as "one of Europe's most prominent young thinkers." His 2017 TED Talk, "Poverty Isn't a Lack of Character; It's a Lack of Cash," was chosen by TED curator Chris Anderson as one of the year's top 10. (Adapted from Wikippedia. Retrieved 6/9/2020.)
Book Reviews
Bregman's argument is simple but radical: Most people are good, and we do ourselves a disservice by thinking the worst of others. Bregman argues that believing in human kindness is a foundation for lasting social change.
USA Today
Bregman never loses sight of his central thesis, that at root humans are "friendly, peaceful, and healthy."… There's a great deal of reassuring human decency to be taken from this bold and thought-provoking book and a wealth of evidence in support of the contention that the sense of who we are as a species has been deleteriously distorted.… It makes a welcome change to read such a sustained and enjoyable tribute to our better natures.
Guardian (UK)
Fascinating…. I enjoyed Humankind immensely. It's entertaining, uplifting, and very likely to reach the broad audience it courts…. This book might just make the world a kinder place.
Daily Telegraph (UK)
Bregman's book is an intervention in a centuries-old argument about the moral nature of human beings…. Humankind is filled with compelling tales of human goodness. The book will challenge what you thought you knew…. Bregman's book is a thrilling read and it represents a necessary correction to the idea that we are all barely disguised savages.
Times (UK)
Bregman's assertion that you and I (and everyone else) is basically a good and moral being is the breakthrough thinking we've been looking for…. [During this pandemic] despite the news reports of those breaking the rules, the vast majority of us (over 80 percent) are doing the right thing…. But we've done it because it's the right thing to do. It's impossible to underestimate what this means for our collective sense of self. We're ready to stretch our do-gooder muscles.
Forbes
[An] intriguing survey of politics, literature, psychology, sociology, and philosophy.… This intelligent and reassuring chronicle disproves much received wisdom about the dark side of human nature. Readers looking for solace in uncertain times will find it here.
Publishers Weekly
(Starred review) Fascinating…. Convincing…. Bregman turns to solutions… schools in which teachers assume that students want to learn, and local governments in which citizens exert genuine power wisely…. A powerful argument in favor of human virtue.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
We'll add publisher questions if and when they're available; in the meantime, use our LitLovers talking points to help start a discussion for HUMANKIND: A HISTORY OF HOPE … then take off on your own:
1. Does Rutger Bregman's premise resonate with you? Are humans better people than history has made us out to be? Or given history, do you find Bregman's viewpoint naive?
2. Talk about Bregman's argument in support of his thesis. Of the evidence he presents, what do you find most persuasive? Least persuasive?
3. Humankind presents an alternative version, the true version, behind the 1954 novel by William Golding's Lord of the Flies. Have you read Golding's classic story? What does Bregman learn, through interviews with the rescuer and one of the boys, that differs from the novel?
4. Discuss Bregman's solutions. Do you find them plausible? Is there one you think deserves priority? Can you think of other solutions that are not mentioned in Humankind?
5. Consider watching Bregman's 2017 TED Talk presentation, "Poverty Isn't a Lack of Character; It's a Lack of Cash," which the forum considered one of it's top 10 talks of the year.
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online and off, with attribution. Thanks.)