Humankind

Outline

Humankind (2019) challenges the widespread belief that people are selfish and violent at heart. Rutger Bregman revisits famous stories and experiments, including Lord of the Flies, the Stanford Prison Experiment, and the history of Easter Island, to argue that most people are fundamentally decent and cooperative. The book explores how a more hopeful view of human nature could transform schools, workplaces, justice systems, and democracy.

• Rutger Bregman argues that most people are fundamentally decent and cooperative, not selfish and violent at heart.
• Famous stories and experiments, such as Lord of the Flies and the Stanford Prison Experiment, are reexamined to question the belief that people are naturally bad.
• The history of Easter Island is revisited as part of the case for human cooperation.
• Cooperation and kindness, not selfishness, are what help societies thrive.
• A more hopeful view of human nature could change schools, workplaces, justice systems, and democracy.

Rutger Bregman is a Dutch historian and author known for bold, hopeful ideas about society and human nature. His book Utopia for Realists made the case for ideas such as universal basic income and a shorter workweek. His other books include Humankind and Moral Ambition, and his work has been translated into dozens of languages.