Humankind
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3.8 • 101 Ratings
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- $19.99
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
"The Sapiens of 2020." ---The Guardian
From the author of the New York Times bestseller Utopia for Realists comes "the riveting pick-me-up we all need right now" (People), the #1 Dutch bestseller Humankind, which offers a "bold" (Daniel H. Pink), "extraordinary" (Susan Cain) argument that humans thrive in a crisis and that our innate kindness and cooperation have been the greatest factors in our long-term success on the planet.
"Humankind made me see humanity from a fresh perspective." ---Yuval Noah Harari, author of the #1 bestseller Sapiens
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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
With a long history chock-full of slavery, genocide, and war, it’s easy to start thinking that perhaps human beings are inherently bad. But author and historian Rutger Bregman has an entirely different view. He believes that most people, deep down, are pretty decent—and he’s rounded up a slew of examples from many of the worst moments in recorded human history to back up his claim. From the tragedy of 9/11 to the sinking of the Titanic, from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps, Bregman explains how unwavering human kindness and genuine altruism have always triumphed, even in the most horrifying situations. Narrated by the friendly-sounding voice actor Thomas Judd, this uplifting audiobook pinpoints why it is that we’re conditioned to distrust the people around us, even when there’s so much evidence to the contrary. At a moment in time that so many of us find incredibly troubling, Humankind makes a strong and comforting case for hope.
Customer Reviews
Interesting anecdotes
Some interesting and well-researched anecdotes that are worth knowing but the book format may not have been an optimal choice. I was quite sympathetic to the thesis (I.e. Humans are more cooperative than combative) to begin with, but felt it was not well supported or even sufficiently examined. I found it particularly frustrating that the author did not seem to critically examine his obviously Euro-centric and Christianity-based frame of understanding the human condition, or rigorously question his definition of good and evil. I found the author interviews more interesting than the book.