Rutger Bregman, a historian and writer at The Correspondent, is one of Europe's most prominent young thinkers. His last book, Utopia for Realists, which was translated into thirty-two languages, is a New York Times bestseller. He lives in Holland.
"Humankind is an enjoyable and thought-provoking read, one whose
bold argument has potentially far-reaching implications for how we
run our governments, workplaces, schools, and correctional
facilities... Bregman is not naive; he grounds his arguments in
reassessments of historical events and in studies from the sciences
and social sciences... [and] debunks a number of long-held
beliefs... Bregman presents his findings in a chatty, engaging
style that evokes Malcolm Gladwell."--Barbara Spindel, Christian
Science Monitor
"A lively social history... Bregman offers a compelling case for
reshaping institutions and policies along genuinely humane
lines."--The New Yorker
"As Bregman shows very convincingly in this book, we are not the
selfish species we think we are and civilization is not a thin
layer of veneer that will crack as soon as put to the test... The
main message: it is time for a new realism based on believing the
fact that humans are good."--Jeroen Kraaijenbrink, Forbes
"Brisk and entertaining . . . Meticulously sifting the evidence,
Bregman finds that the most pessimistic views of human nature are
not backed up by the facts . . . Humankind works as a much-needed
corrective to excessive pessimism about human wickedness."--Julina
Baggini, The Prospect
"In a world of sophisticated pessimism, Humankind is a refreshing
change . . . Twenty-first-century readers are short on prophets,
especially the optimistic kind, and will give Bregman a cheerful
hearing."--The Economist
"Interesting and urgent . . . Bregman attacks huge and highly
sensitive questions with his usual brand of vim, vigor, and
intellectual nuance . . . The historian is a sort of Dutch Sherlock
Holmes, furiously prodding at the sacred cows of psychological
research and laying out his counterarguments with the breathless
pace of a thriller . . . Books like this one ask important and
unsettling questions about the assumptions that underpin our
approach to everything from schools to prisons, from police to
politics."--Ceri Radford, The Independent
"International bestseller Rutger Bregman provides a fresh, new and
engaging perspective on human history and where we can go as a
society and species if we change our belief from 'all humans are
inherently bad' to 'all humans are innately kind.' Humankind: A
Hopeful History takes readers through historical accounts proving
that we are in fact hardwired for kindness and is a read that will
lift your spirits at a much-needed time in today's
climate."--CNN
"Rutger Bregman is one of the most provocative thinkers of our
time... This book demolishes the cynical view that humans are
inherently nasty and selfish, and paints a portrait of human nature
that's not only more uplifting---it's also more accurate... by
taking us on a guided tour of the past, he reveals how we can build
a world with more givers than takers in the future." --Adam Grant,
New York Times bestselling author of Give and Take and
Originals
"Humankind is an in-depth overview of what is wrong with the idea
is that we humans are by nature bad and unreliable. In vivid
descriptions and stories, Rutger Bregman takes us back to the
questionable experiments that fed this idea and offers us a more
optimistic view of mankind."--Frans de Waal, New York Times
bestselling author of Are We SmartEnough to Know How Smart Animals
Are? and Mama's Last Hug: AnimalEmotions and What They Tell Us
About Ourselves
"A beach read for brainiacs . . . Its hopeful message could not be
better timed . . . As impressive as Bregman's arguments are, he's
also a gifted storyteller . . . Picture an animated,
multi-directional lecture by a charismatic professor, and you're at
Humankind . . . It's a dazzling performance."--Brett Josef
Grubisic, Maclean's
"An extraordinarily powerful declaration of faith in the innate
goodness and natural decency of human beings. Never dewy-eyed,
wistful or naive, Rutger Bregman makes a wholly robust and
convincing case for believing---despite so much apparent evidence
to the contrary---that we are not the savage, irredeemably greedy,
violent and rapacious species we can be led into thinking ourselves
to be. Hugely, highly and happily recommended."--Stephen Fry,
author of Mythos and The Ode Less Travelled
"Beautifully written, well documented, myth-busting... Bregman
brings psychological research and history together to present a
remarkably positive, realistic view of the human animal. We are
much better, much kinder, than most of us think we are, and when we
realize that we become better yet... [It's] now number one on my
list of what everyone should read. Read it and buy copies for all
of your most cynical friends."--Peter Gray, author of Free to
Learn: Why Releasing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children
Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life
"Bregman argues convincingly that what we teach and report about
ourselves, we become: telling ourselves incessantly that we are
selfish, aggressive, and untrustworthy will make us more so. The
counter-examples he provides are inspiring . . . Bold,
entertaining, and uplifting, Humankind should be read less as a
scholarly treatise on human nature and more as a call to
consciousness and action."--Owen Harman, The Spectator
"Bregman offers a fresh and optimistic perspective on humanity and
our innate tendencies toward generosity and kindness. Backed by
200,000 years of human history, Humankind makes a convincing
argument to seek out the best in others, rather than looking for
the worst."--Kat Sarfas, Barnesandnoble.com
"Bregman puts a positive spin on human behavior in this intriguing
survey of politics, literature, psychology, sociology, and
philosophy. To prove his hypothesis that humankind is basically
good, he reevaluates some of the most entrenched cultural
narratives suggesting otherwise... 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
"Bregman puts together a compelling argument that society has been
built on a false premise... He has a Gladwellian gift for sifting
through academic reports and finding anecdotal jewels... 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."--Andrew
Anthony, The Guardian
"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."--Barbara VanDenburgh, USA Today
"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 to activate and energize millions to live more
sustainably, vote for climate action, and raise their voice for the
future . . . Today, during this terrible pandemic which has a third
of humanity in some sort of lockdown, the 'good people' premise is
being proven . . . Despite the news reports of those breaking the
rules, the vast majority of us (over 80 percent) are doing the
right thing . . . This might prove to be the wake-up call we needed
to our own goodness. For most, this pandemic has demanded the
hardest change in how we live. 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."--Solitaire Townsend, Forbes
"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."--James Marriott, The Times
"Bregman's previous work made a strong case for utopian policies
like universal basic income. Humankind provides the philosophical
and historical backbone to give us the confidence that such bold
policies---underpinned by cooperation, not competition---are the
right kinds of policies. Why? Because people are inherently good
and altruistic. Understanding this fundamental point creates the
spirit and the tools to collaborate, be kind, and trust each other
to create a better society. The positive and uplifting message in
Humankind is essential if we are ever going to create a better form
of capitalism where the many, not the few, can flourish."--Mariana
Mazzucato, author of The Entrepreneurial State and member of the
U.N. Committee for Development Policy
"Compelling... Humankind is an amazing book--thoughtful, engaging,
optimistic, and true... It shows us how much where we start our
thinking about human nature influences where we finish, even when
where we start is dead wrong. Put aside your newspaper for a little
while and read this book."--Barry Schwartz, author of the national
bestseller The Paradox of Choice
"Cynicism is a theory of everything, but, as Rutger Bregman
brilliantly shows, an elective one---so totalizing it clouds our
picture of human life and constricts our capacity to imagine, and
enact, better futures. This necessary book widens that aperture of
possibility, and radically."--David Wallace-Wells, New York Times
bestselling author of The Uninhabitable Earth
"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."--Tristram Fane Saunders, Daily Telegraph
"Fascinating... Convincing... After cogently laying out the
problem, Bregman turns to solutions... He describes businesses
without bosses, 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 (starred review)
"I greatly enjoyed reading Humankind. It made me see humanity from
a fresh perspective and challenged me to rethink many long-held
beliefs. I warmly recommend it to others, and I trust it will stir
a lot of fruitful discussions."--Yuval Noah Harari, #1 New York
Times bestselling author of Sapiens and 21 Lessons for the 21st
Century
"I know of no more powerful or carefully documented rejoinder to
Machiavelli's observation that 'men never do anything good except
out of necessity' than Rutger Bregman's book. His reassessment of
human nature is as faithful to the actual evidence as it is
uplifting."--Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, one of Discover Magazine's 50 Most
Important Women in Science and author of Mothers and Others: The
Evolutionary Origins of Mutual Understanding
"Invigorating... The book is crammed full of fascinating
examples... a much needed reminder of the traditional virtues of
modesty and the like, of sharing, and of co-operation rather than
vicious competition... If books require the right zeitgeist to have
a major impact, then Bregman's timing may prove brilliant...
Bregman's book is something of a beacon at the moment, when many
are looking for values to profess in our traumatised and altered
society... [it] stands a very good chance of having a real impact
on the feelings of the general public."--Alexander McCall Smith,
The Scotsman
"Lively and illuminating . . . Bregman argues convincingly that the
dominant assumptions about behavior in modern capitalism are upside
down . . . Under the pressure of the coronavirus, what we see are
millions and millions of people risking their own lives to help
others, not under threat of dismissal and not because of financial
incentives, but because it's what comes naturally. If we 'revert'
during a disaster, it is not to being apes or angels. It is to
being merely, decently human."--Fintan O'Toole, Irish Times
"Rutger Bregman has written another great book. He looks at some
off the famous sociological experiments of the twentieth
century-those that claimed to show humans as self-interested,
cowardly, and morally fickle-and discovers that they were
engineered to produce exactly those results. There was a lot of
prejudice and ideological manipulation going on to get us to think
so badly of ourselves. Every revolution in human affairs---and
we're in one right now!---comes in tandem with a new understanding
of what we mean by the word 'human.' Bregman has succeeded in
reawakening that conversation by articulating a kinder view of
humanity (with better science behind it). This book gives us some
real hope for the future."--Brian Eno
"Rutger Bregman is one of my favorite thinkers. His latest book
challenges our basic assumptions about human nature in a way that
opens up a world of new possibilities. Humankind is simple,
perceptive and powerful in the way that the best books and
arguments are."--Andrew Yang, former US Presidential candidate and
New York Times bestselling author of The War on Normal People
"Rutger Bregman is out on his own, thinking for himself, using
history to give the rest of us a chance to build a much better
future than we can presently imagine."--Timothy Snyder, #1 New York
Times bestselling author of On Tyranny and Bloodlands
"Rutger Bregman's extraordinary new book is a revelation. Although
Humankind is masterful in its grasp of history, both ancient and
modern, the real achievement is Bregman's application of history to
a new understanding of human nature. Humankind changes the
conversation and lights the path to a brighter future. We need it
now more than ever."--Susan Cain, author of the #1 New York Times
bestseller Quiet
"Rutger Bregman's new book, Humankind, has made me feel optimism in
a time of pessimism. It's an exceptional read. Humans are
good."--Matt Haig, author of the international bestseller Reasons
to Stay Alive
"Some books challenge our ideas. But Humankind challenges the very
premises on which those ideas are based. Its bold, sweeping
argument will make you rethink what you believe about society,
democracy, and human nature itself. In a sea of cynicism, this book
is the sturdy, unsinkable lifeboat the world needs."--Daniel H.
Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of When and A Whole New
Mind
"The topic is vital, the sweep immense, and the storytelling is
spellbinding. This is a fabulous book."--Tim Harford, author of the
international bestseller The Undercover Economist
"This latest book on society, history, and anthropology by Rutger
Bregman has many quotable quotes on every page and is full of
powerful aphorisms drawn from the history of political thought . .
. The whole theme of Humankind is the demolition of what Bregman
sees as the big lie that humans are fundamentally evil and
self-interested . . . The thoroughness of his demolition job is
impressive, as he sweeps aside example after example of the stories
we tell ourselves in order to uphold the myth of our own wickedness
. . . The book's deconstructions of some of the 'truths' we have
been told about human nature are fascinating; as riveting as any
thriller, and necessary, in trying to shift our politics onto new
and more productive ground."--Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman
"This stunning book will change how you see the world and your
fellow humans. Humankind is mind-expanding and, more important,
heart-expanding. We have never needed its message more than
now."--Johann Hari, New York Times bestselling author of Lost
Connections and Chasing the Scream
"Why are most of us willing to sacrifice our wellbeing to protect
vulnerable people we've never met? The most coherent, well-proven
answer can be found in Humankind... Bregman's book summarizes a
mountain of new discoveries in a wide range of fields that debunk
what we thought we knew about humanity... It takes you on his
personal journey, from believing (and teaching) many of society's
shibboleths about inherent evil to systematically tearing each one
apart with evidence."--Chris Taylor, Mashable
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