AUGUST 2020 - AudioFile
Thomas Judd's performance complements the theme of positivity throughout Bregman's look at humankind. This audiobook takes a critical view of the conventional wisdom that humans are selfish and prone to conflict to protect their interests. Instead of "veneer theory," which posits that people engage in shallow niceties only to maintain cultural order, Bregman provides evidence of people defying expectations to support each other. He debunks well-established experiments on abusive human behavior, like the notorious Stanford prison experiment, which have captivated the public despite being fundamentally flawed. As Bregman notes, the idea that humans are naturally motivated to be decent to each other remains a radical idea. Judd's delivery befits this radical notion as his voice exudes empathy and kindness. S.P.C. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
04/06/2020
Dutch historian Bregman (Utopia for Realists) 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, Bregman reevaluates some of the most entrenched cultural narratives suggesting otherwise. For example, six Tongan boys shipwrecked on an island in the 1960s didn’t beat each other senseless—à la William Golding’s characters in The Lord of the Flies—but lived harmoniously until their rescue a year later. Bregman also revisits the Stanford Prison Experiment (researchers muddled the study by ensuring that students chosen as guards would be cruel to those posing as prisoners) and the 1964 murder of Kitty Genovese, in which 37 bystanders supposedly heard her cries for help but failed to intervene (Bregman offers evidence that several people actually did call the police, and that one of Kitty’s neighbors ran directly to her aid). He even attempts to fold the Holocaust into his theory, but his explanation that the Nazis “believed they were on the right side of history” fails to either hearten or persuade. Overall, however, 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. (June)
From the Publisher
"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
"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
"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
“A lively social history... Bregman offers a compelling case for reshaping institutions and policies along genuinely humane lines.”—The New Yorker
"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
“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
"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 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
"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
“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
"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
"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)
“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 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
“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
"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
"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
"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
“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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
AUGUST 2020 - AudioFile
Thomas Judd's performance complements the theme of positivity throughout Bregman's look at humankind. This audiobook takes a critical view of the conventional wisdom that humans are selfish and prone to conflict to protect their interests. Instead of "veneer theory," which posits that people engage in shallow niceties only to maintain cultural order, Bregman provides evidence of people defying expectations to support each other. He debunks well-established experiments on abusive human behavior, like the notorious Stanford prison experiment, which have captivated the public despite being fundamentally flawed. As Bregman notes, the idea that humans are naturally motivated to be decent to each other remains a radical idea. Judd's delivery befits this radical notion as his voice exudes empathy and kindness. S.P.C. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2020-03-15
“There is a persistent myth that by their very nature, humans are selfish, aggressive, and quick to panic.” British historian and journalist Bregman disagrees, making a convincing case that we’re not so bad.
In Lord of the Flies, a group of boys stranded on an island descend into savagery. The author turns up a real-life version that turned out much better: In 1965, six teenagers were marooned on a tiny, waterless islet, and they cooperated until their rescue 15 months later, when they were alive and healthy. Bregman’s fascinating examination of pro-depravity evidence reveals an alarming amount of error. Readers may remember the 1964 murder of Kitty Genovese; newspapers reported that 38 bystanders heard her screams and did nothing. Journalistic incompetence, writes the author; multiple neighbors came to her aid. Iconic scientific studies reveal crippling flaws. In a 1971 prison study at Stanford, researchers divided students into “prisoners” and “guards.” Within days, the guards became abusive. Bregman reveals that it was a “hoax”; researchers instructed the guards to behave badly. At the peak of human depravity lies Nazi administrator Adolph Eichmann. At his 1961 trial, he portrayed himself as a desk-bound bureaucrat carrying out his boss’s orders. The phrase “the banality of evil” entered the lexicon. Subsequent research in Nazi archives revealed Eichmann as a psychopath. After cogently laying out the problem, the author turns to solutions. For example, 20% of those discharged from Norway’s cushy prisons return in two years, the world’s lowest recidivism rate and a big money-saver; in the U.S., it’s 60%. Experts agree that oppressive prisons increase crime, but reform efforts invariably fizzle; “coddling” criminals outrages most Americans. Bregman describes businesses without bosses, schools in which teachers assume that students want to learn, and local governments in which citizens exert genuine power wisely. Readers may wonder why these are not spreading like wildfire. Since good studies show that deeply held false beliefs remain immune to evidence, human depravity must qualify.
A powerful argument in favor of human virtue that will probably not catch on. (b/w illustrations)
