Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman
/I’ve always believed human beings are inherently kind and compassionate – that we’re all born with the capacity to be good people.
This is sometimes a difficult belief to defend. You only have to glance at the news to find bleak examples of humanity.
But, what happens when you dig a little deeper? When you look beyond the headlines? When you put humanity under the microscope, are we as cruel and selfish as history would lead us to believe?
These are the questions Dutch journalist Rutger Bregman attempts to answer in Humankind: A Hopeful History.
Bregman convincingly argues that human beings are indeed decent, and debunks several prominent studies that suggest otherwise.
He believes it’s time to look at ourselves in a different light. Instead of seeing ourselves as selfish creatures that need to work hard to be decent, it’s the other way around: we’re inherently decent beings that need to work hard to be selfish.
“To be clear, this book is not a sermon on the fundamental goodness of people. Obviously, we’re not angels. We’re complex creatures, with a good side and a not-so-good side. The question is which side we turn to. My argument is simply this: that we – by nature, as children, on an uninhabited island, when war breaks out, when crisis hits – have a powerful preference for our good side.”
These words are a breath of fresh air in 2020. Could this book be more perfectly timed?
Bregman’s findings could transform the way we see ourselves and others, and help us all live with more compassion and cooperation. He’s essentially arguing that to live in harmony with one another isn’t idealism – it’s science. It’s the way we’re wired. And if we start believing we’re decent – instead of believing we’re innately selfish – then we stand a chance against the challenges ahead.
“If we believe most people can’t be trusted, that’s how we’ll treat each other, to everyone’s detriment. Few ideas have as much power to shape the world as our view of other people. Because ultimately, you get what you expect to get. If we want to tackle the greatest challenges of our times – from the climate crisis to our growing distrust of one another – then I think the place we need to start is our view of human nature.”
I implore you to read this book and discover for yourself how there is so much more to the history of humanity than war. I found it an exhilarating read – a real page-turner – and feel more hopeful about the future.
Here are some of my favourite passages.
On the ‘nocebo effect’
“If there’s one lesson to be drawn from the nocebo effect, it’s that ideas are never merely ideas. We are what we believe. We find what we go looking for. And what we predict, comes to pass.”
This book helps you understand the true power of thought (see also: The Pygmalion Effect) and how negative thinking can have a very real and damaging effect on our lives.
On the news
“The news, according to dozens of studies, is a mental health hazard.”
And this is coming from a journalist. Bregman advises reading in-depth, quality journalism once or twice a week, instead of consuming daily news – which he likens to ‘sugar for the brain’.
On cooperation
“Human beings, it turns out, are ultrasocial learning machines. We’re born to learn, to bond and to play. Maybe it’s not so strange, then, that blushing is the only human expression that’s uniquely human. Blushing, after all, is quintessentially social – it’s people showing they care what others think, which fosters trust and enables cooperation.”
Bregman argues that we’re wired to work together. He goes as far to call us ‘homo puppy’ as a reference to our inherent friendliness.
On war
“If our state of nature was a ‘war of all against all’ à la Hobbes, then you’d expect that someone, at some point in this period, would have painted a picture of it. But that’s never been found. While there are thousands of cave paintings from this time about hunting bison, horses and gazelles, there’s not a single depiction of war.”
In short: we were not born fighters. There was a time before war.
On climate change
“I’m no sceptic when it comes to climate change. There’s no doubt in my mind that this is the greatest challenge of our time – and that time is running out. What I am sceptical about, however, is the fatalistic rhetoric of collapse. Of the notion that we humans are inherently selfish, or worse, a plague upon the earth. I’m sceptical when this notion is peddled as ‘realistic’, and I’m sceptical when we’re told there’s no way out.”
I’ve always believed that if we can put man on the moon, we can figure out a way to live without burning fossil fuels and mowing down rainforests. It’s not a matter of whether we are intelligent enough to design our way out of this crisis; it’s a matter of willpower.
On intrinsic motivation
“Edward Deci, the American psychologist who flipped the script on how we think about motivation, thought the question should no longer be how to motivate others, but how we shape a society so that people motivate themselves. This question is neither conservative nor progressive, neither capitalist nor communist. It speaks to a new movement – a new realism. Because nothing is more powerful than people who do something because they want to do it.”
What do we want for the future of humankind? I think we all share the same yearning, deep down, for global peace and prosperity. For the health of all humanity and our planet.
Humankind: A Hopeful History proves this yearning is not idealistic, nor unachievable. You’re not crazy to believe in a better future. Your soul is whispering to you for a reason. Reading this book might just give you the confidence to listen.
About Jess
Jess is the founder of Made of Words and a proud idealist. She enjoys seeking out stories that inspire us to be better.
She’s a copywriter for changemakers (those on a mission to improve the world). You can reach her at jess@madeofwords.co.nz.