Humankind: A Hopeful History
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- Create Date：2021-04-06 00:31:00
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Rutger Bregman
- ISBN：0316418536
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Summary
From the author of Utopia For Realists， a revolutionary argument that the innate goodness and cooperation of human beings has been the greatest factor in our success
If one basic principle has served as the bedrock of bestselling author Rutger Bregman's thinking， it is that every progressive idea -- whether it was the abolition of slavery， the advent of democracy， women's suffrage， or the ratification of marriage equality -- was once considered radical and dangerous by the mainstream opinion of its time。 With Humankind， he brings that mentality to bear against one of our most entrenched ideas: namely， that human beings are by nature selfish and self-interested。
By providing a new historical perspective of the last 200，000 years of human history， Bregman sets out to prove that we are in fact evolutionarily wired for cooperation rather than competition， and that our instinct to trust each other has a firm evolutionary basis going back to the beginning of Homo sapiens。 Bregman systematically debunks our understanding of the Milgram electrical-shock experiment， the Zimbardo prison experiment， and the Kitty Genovese "bystander effect。"
In place of these， he offers little-known true stories: the tale of twin brothers on opposing sides of apartheid in South Africa who came together with Nelson Mandela to create peace; a group of six shipwrecked children who survived for a year and a half on a deserted island by working together; a study done after World War II that found that as few as 15% of American soldiers were actually capable of firing at the enemy。
The ultimate goal of Humankind is to demonstrate that while neither capitalism nor communism has on its own been proven to be a workable social system， there is a third option: giving "citizens and professionals the means （left） to make their own choices （right）。" Reorienting our thinking toward positive and high expectations of our fellow man， Bregman argues， will reap lasting success。 Bregman presents this idea with his signature wit and frankness， once again making history， social science and economic theory accessible and enjoyable for lay readers。
If one basic principle has served as the bedrock of bestselling author Rutger Bregman's thinking， it is that every progressive idea -- whether it was the abolition of slavery， the advent of democracy， women's suffrage， or the ratification of marriage equality -- was once considered radical and dangerous by the mainstream opinion of its time。 With Humankind， he brings that mentality to bear against one of our most entrenched ideas: namely， that human beings are by nature selfish and self-interested。
By providing a new historical perspective of the last 200，000 years of human history， Bregman sets out to prove that we are in fact evolutionarily wired for cooperation rather than competition， and that our instinct to trust each other has a firm evolutionary basis going back to the beginning of Homo sapiens。 Bregman systematically debunks our understanding of the Milgram electrical-shock experiment， the Zimbardo prison experiment， and the Kitty Genovese "bystander effect。"
In place of these， he offers little-known true stories: the tale of twin brothers on opposing sides of apartheid in South Africa who came together with Nelson Mandela to create peace; a group of six shipwrecked children who survived for a year and a half on a deserted island by working together; a study done after World War II that found that as few as 15% of American soldiers were actually capable of firing at the enemy。
The ultimate goal of Humankind is to demonstrate that while neither capitalism nor communism has on its own been proven to be a workable social system， there is a third option: giving "citizens and professionals the means （left） to make their own choices （right）。" Reorienting our thinking toward positive and high expectations of our fellow man， Bregman argues， will reap lasting success。 Bregman presents this idea with his signature wit and frankness， once again making history， social science and economic theory accessible and enjoyable for lay readers。
Reviews
Akshay Singh
，
Of the enlightenment philosophy。 Recommended to get an alternate view reality
Kiki
，
Olipas mielenkiintoinen kirja！Pelkäsin aluksi， että kirja on pitkästyttävä ja täynnä psykologisia termejä， mutta toimi hyvin pienissä pätkissä luettuna。 Plussaa diagrammeista ja kuvista。Kyseessä on ilmeisesti aika suosittu teos， jota en kyllä ihmettele lainkaan。 Pisti ajattelumalleja uusiksi。
Siddharth Watwe
，
One of the best books I've read recently。 It challenged a lot of beliefs， thoughts I had and opinions that I had formed; something that had last happened when I read Sapiens。 A relieving deviation from everything that is wrong with the world， that we are constantly exposed to by the media， news， social media activists et al。 I am sure you will be wow'ed by the end of reading this。 If you are familiar with the Bystander effect， Broken window theory， Stanford prison experiment， you will be even mo One of the best books I've read recently。 It challenged a lot of beliefs， thoughts I had and opinions that I had formed; something that had last happened when I read Sapiens。 A relieving deviation from everything that is wrong with the world， that we are constantly exposed to by the media， news， social media activists et al。 I am sure you will be wow'ed by the end of reading this。 If you are familiar with the Bystander effect， Broken window theory， Stanford prison experiment， you will be even more mind blown！ I am finding it a little hard to accept whatever I have read， maybe that is because of the unconscious bias that has been repeatedly drilled into my mind with the aforementioned media， news etc。Highly recommend reading this book。 。。。more
Caalador
，
A must read to combat the hopelessness on display this century。
Robbo
，
A differing perspective on the human condition。 Exposes commonly accepted theories of the innate selfishness of humans and explains our true nature as being empathetic and altruistic。 Deconstructs the myths surrounding， Lord of the Flies， Easter Island environmental destruction， the Stanford Prison Experiment， Stanley Milgram's electric shock experiments， Kitty Genovese murder， zero tolerance/broken windows theory。 Poor old Malcolm Gladwell， （whom I love）， gets a bit of a serve in relation to hi A differing perspective on the human condition。 Exposes commonly accepted theories of the innate selfishness of humans and explains our true nature as being empathetic and altruistic。 Deconstructs the myths surrounding， Lord of the Flies， Easter Island environmental destruction， the Stanford Prison Experiment， Stanley Milgram's electric shock experiments， Kitty Genovese murder， zero tolerance/broken windows theory。 Poor old Malcolm Gladwell， （whom I love）， gets a bit of a serve in relation to his Tipping Point theories。 Overarching theme is essentially humans are empathetic， non-violent， social animals who work and play well together。 Learnings: avoid the mainstream media news， especially your Google feed; try and see people in a positive frame of reference; test what you read and hear， Capitalism is a construct that no longer works effectively。 。。。more
Howard
，
This is the book I've been looking for for a long time！ It shows through research how the story of how humans are fundamentally bad is flawed at best。 It goes on to show some possible future paths that a true understanding of human nature may lead to。 And it ends with ten maxims that the author lives by based on the research he did for this book。 A must read for fans of sociology and anthropology。 This is the book I've been looking for for a long time！ It shows through research how the story of how humans are fundamentally bad is flawed at best。 It goes on to show some possible future paths that a true understanding of human nature may lead to。 And it ends with ten maxims that the author lives by based on the research he did for this book。 A must read for fans of sociology and anthropology。 。。。more
Eeva Hellgren
，
Best book this year。 So positive！
Jo
，
Easy read pop psychology espousing the virtues of human kind - basically a single premise but good summaries of evidence and lots of references。
Lungu Bogdan
，
Wonderful。
Randhi
，
Have a great courage to exposed are human reality。Exploit all those scientific studies where people life were use to show human resilience， human kind， human happiness， human sadness， it is remarkable。Take advantage of what it has been done and have the courage of exposed it， through direct ideas and comparisons specially when we can see the gap in between wealth， benefits， poverty， sadness， happiness， respect， morality， social media power has increased considerably 。Thank you！！ Well done！！
Luiza Pinheiro Machado
，
“Nem tudo que é questionado por ser mudado， mas nada será mudado até que se questione。” Rutger é， sobretudo， um sujeito extremamente corajoso。
DJ
，
Hobbes vs Rousseau and the winner is neither？ This is a fresh look at human nature that tells a deeper story about some of the most famous psychological experiments of all time， showing that they may not be telling is what we thought。 The truth really is always somewhere on the middle and that offers a new hope for us all。
Joaquin
，
Wauw wauw wauwWat mij betreft een must read voor iedereen die open staat voor het even logische als inspirerende wereldbeeld van Rutger Bregman。Zonder zijn eigen visie op te dringen schotelt hij de lezer aan de hand van vlot te lezen samenvattingen van waargebeurde verhalen en experimenten （sommigen bekend， anderen nog te weinig verteld） en zijn reactie hierop stof tot nadenken voor。Dit boek is een prachtige samenvloeiing van boeiende verhalen over nobele onbekenden en geschiedkundige gebeurteni Wauw wauw wauwWat mij betreft een must read voor iedereen die open staat voor het even logische als inspirerende wereldbeeld van Rutger Bregman。Zonder zijn eigen visie op te dringen schotelt hij de lezer aan de hand van vlot te lezen samenvattingen van waargebeurde verhalen en experimenten （sommigen bekend， anderen nog te weinig verteld） en zijn reactie hierop stof tot nadenken voor。Dit boek is een prachtige samenvloeiing van boeiende verhalen over nobele onbekenden en geschiedkundige gebeurtenissen。Prachtig boek waar ik heel veel van heb bijgeleerd en mij heeft aangezet tot nadenken。Missie geslaagd ！ 。。。more
T
，
Het boek heeft me al meerdere keren aan het denken gezet。 Zeker mijn beeld van het gevangenisexperiment en de schoktest。 Zo veel ervan is in scene gezet dat er niks meer van overblijft。 De echte Lord of the Flies situatie is veel positiever！ En dat het bystander effect echt niet altijd zo werkt: de meeste mensen helpen。 In werkelijkheid is moorden echt vreselijk moeilijk。 In ieder geval: overal oren en notities gemaakt。
Daryl Ducharme
，
A good read that fortified my faith in humanity。 I like how the author looked for the real stories of how things are and not the well known clichés。
Sandra Schonwetter
，
Life is easy or hard？ Is it easy to be hopeful and happy or is it easy to be in despair and sad？ I would say the first is easier and Rutger does a fine job of ‘cherry picking’ items to support this。 I’m fine with ‘cherry picking’。 Everyone does this。 A highlight would include learning the ‘back story’ of the many classic studies that much of social psychology is based on。 This is mind boggling。 I appreciate shattering stable theories， especially when humans are seen in a better light。 I wonder i Life is easy or hard？ Is it easy to be hopeful and happy or is it easy to be in despair and sad？ I would say the first is easier and Rutger does a fine job of ‘cherry picking’ items to support this。 I’m fine with ‘cherry picking’。 Everyone does this。 A highlight would include learning the ‘back story’ of the many classic studies that much of social psychology is based on。 This is mind boggling。 I appreciate shattering stable theories， especially when humans are seen in a better light。 I wonder if this book is required reading for psychology courses？ Continuing， Rutger is a fine story teller。 His pleasant Dutch accent is a bonus to listen to。 In conclusion， I enjoy promoting this book for all people I meet。 Thank you Rutger。 。。。more
Holly
，
People aren't as bad as you think。 And all those studies and books that "prove" otherwise are largely tainted or inaccurate or plain bogus。 Go ahead。 Love your neighbor。 People aren't as bad as you think。 And all those studies and books that "prove" otherwise are largely tainted or inaccurate or plain bogus。 Go ahead。 Love your neighbor。 。。。more
Brian
，
While Rutger Bregman holds many views that I disagree with， including universal basic income， this book focuses on methodically demonstrating how many of our assumptions about the natural evil of human nature are based on false evidence。The Stanford Prison Study， The Milgram Shock Experiment are among the studies that were analyzed with their conclusions convincingly challenged。 Even The Lord of the Flies， which I had hitherto assumed might represent behavior of young boys left alone on a desert While Rutger Bregman holds many views that I disagree with， including universal basic income， this book focuses on methodically demonstrating how many of our assumptions about the natural evil of human nature are based on false evidence。The Stanford Prison Study， The Milgram Shock Experiment are among the studies that were analyzed with their conclusions convincingly challenged。 Even The Lord of the Flies， which I had hitherto assumed might represent behavior of young boys left alone on a deserted island， was disproven by finding a real-world example of the same situation that ended in universal support and brotherhood。If ever there were a book to be read during the pandemic when there are sometimes doubts about human goodness， this is the book。 There were a few moments which were less convincing than others， but overall， Bregman's arguments were very convincing and help me to see the world with more nuance。I accidentally deleted my original review， so I'm rewriting it now without the benefit of proximity to the reading。 I've recommended this book and purchased copies for a number of friends and relatives。 。。。more
Isabelle Inder
，
Excellent！！！ In a world filled with so much bad news this book was like a warm hug。 It just made me want to be a good person and assume others are good people too。。。because apparently we all are！ More people should read this！！！
Ali T
，
This was a great book to reaffirm that people AREN'T all garbage。 Very thankful for this recommendation。 This was a great book to reaffirm that people AREN'T all garbage。 Very thankful for this recommendation。 。。。more
Anneke
，
Wat een fijn boek。 Alles kan goed komen， zegt Bregman。 Onderbouwd optimisme。 Wat wil een mens nog meer。 Ik zeg het niet snel maar heus: lees dit boek。
Tarandeep Kang
，
I've been reading this book as part of a group of postgraduate students and academics in in the department where I'm working on my PhD。 The writing is brilliant， he has a wonderful way of narrating anecdotes and stories， and you can see that he cares about the topics very deeply。 That said， it is painfully obvious that Bregman is not a psychologist。 He wishes to demonstrate that we social and behavioural scientists have the wrong idea of human nature。 But we are not inherently bad， but in all bu I've been reading this book as part of a group of postgraduate students and academics in in the department where I'm working on my PhD。 The writing is brilliant， he has a wonderful way of narrating anecdotes and stories， and you can see that he cares about the topics very deeply。 That said， it is painfully obvious that Bregman is not a psychologist。 He wishes to demonstrate that we social and behavioural scientists have the wrong idea of human nature。 But we are not inherently bad， but in all but the most extreme circumstances， we will do the good， moral， kind and decent thing。 He takes examples from across multiple academic disciplines， and to the layperson it would look like he does a good job of presenting them。 As a non-layperson， I beg to disagree。 If one wishes to seriously engage with the literature that Bregman cites， it is fairly easy to find a number of contradictory findings on his most salient points。 The aim of this book is absolutely laudable， and to a certain extent I agree with him， that we have made incorrect conclusions about the nature of humanity。 But， that doesn't mean that he handles his evidence well。 He makes some good points， it's a pity that the standard of the evidence he uses to back them up is not equally good。 Listen for me from this one is that if you want to make a good point， it's no use having only a clever idea， make sure the evidence actually supports your idea。 In the case of this book， very often is presentation of the findings is overly simplistic。I could of course list a number of points on which I， my colleagues， and the academic literature in general begs to differ with our offer。 But I will not do that， because it would probably bore most readers of this review。 That said， do read this book， just be critical when reading it。 If there are things you think you don't agree with， just do a little research。 In my mind， a good reader of a book like this should be made to think， and if that is the mark of a good book， then this one is in fact brilliant。 。。。more
Jemma
，
This begins well， providing exactly what it promises。 It also makes a good case for various psychological standards （e。g。 the Stanford Prison experiment） being flawed， if not completely wrong。Where it goes awry is it's rose tinted glasses about hunter gathetrer society and blaming pretty much everything on civilisation in towns。 There are some good points to be made and a corrective that hunter gathering isn't as primitive as we tend to thing and towns negative in some ways， but this goes way to This begins well， providing exactly what it promises。 It also makes a good case for various psychological standards （e。g。 the Stanford Prison experiment） being flawed， if not completely wrong。Where it goes awry is it's rose tinted glasses about hunter gathetrer society and blaming pretty much everything on civilisation in towns。 There are some good points to be made and a corrective that hunter gathering isn't as primitive as we tend to thing and towns negative in some ways， but this goes way too far。 The statistic that 95% of human history was peripatetic and problems date after that is frequently trotted out。 No doubt true to some degree， it ignores that hunter gathering had 19 times longer to iron out problems than civilization in towns。 。。。more
Hestia Istiviani
，
I read in English but this review is in Bahasa Indonesia The theory of evolution was not a capitalist plot after all。。。Sejujurnya aku asing dengan siapa Rutger Bregman itu。 Ketika Humankind menjadi perbincangan ditambah Periplus mengadakan bedah bukunya （featuring Devina， my bff）， aku jadi semakin tertarik。 Tapi rupanya， Humankind ini tebal juga。 Aku sempat ragu apakah aku sanggup berkomitmen untuk menyelesaikannya hingga Nada Wahyu mengajakku untuk melakukan buddy-read （baca bersama-sama） ag I read in English but this review is in Bahasa Indonesia The theory of evolution was not a capitalist plot after all。。。Sejujurnya aku asing dengan siapa Rutger Bregman itu。 Ketika Humankind menjadi perbincangan ditambah Periplus mengadakan bedah bukunya （featuring Devina， my bff）， aku jadi semakin tertarik。 Tapi rupanya， Humankind ini tebal juga。 Aku sempat ragu apakah aku sanggup berkomitmen untuk menyelesaikannya hingga Nada Wahyu mengajakku untuk melakukan buddy-read （baca bersama-sama） agar kami bisa saling memotivasi dan bisa berkomitmen。Dengan modal ketidaktahuan terhadap latar belakang penulis， aku tidak banyak berekspektasi。 Kepalaku waktu itu hanya diisi dengan dugaan bahwa bahasannya barangkali tidak jauh berbeda dengan apa yang dibahas oleh Harari dalam Sapiens。 Dan tentu saja aku sotoy。Humankind ditulis oleh Bregman dengan sangat menarik。 Kalau aku boleh curiga， jangan-jangan Bregman ini memang punya keahlian dalam story telling。 Bagaimana tidak？ Aku begitu menikmati tulisannya sejak bab pertama。 Caranya bertutur begitu mengalir dan setiap bahasan diberikan jeda yang pas。 Membuat pembaca tidak kelelahan atau kehabisan napas。 Buku ini dibagi menjadi 7 bagian: Prolog， Part 1 -The State of Nature， Part 2 - After Auschwitz， Part 3 - Why good People Turn Bad， Part 4 - New Realism， Part 5 - The Other Cheek， dan Epilog。 Masing-masing bagian memegang tema besar yang sama lalu dipecah menjadi 3 bab untuk kemudian dijelaskan oleh Bregman secara lebih dalam。 Menariknya adalah， Bregman menjelaskan apa yang selama ini kita yakini sebagai sebuah "kebenaran" bisa jadi merupakan propaganda dari publikasi （media， orang yang mempublikasi， banyak faktor dijelaskan oleh Bregman）。 Misalnya saja di bagian awal， Bregman menulis tentang Lord of the Flies--sebuah novel klasik tentang sekumpulan bocah lelaki di pulau kecil dan usaha untuk hidup。 Novel Lord of Flies hingga saat ini tidak pernah kehilangan peminat。 Bregman， mencoba untuk membuktikan apakah benar natur manusia seperti yang ada di tulisan itu。 Hasilnya ternyata berbeda！ Bregman malah mendapatkan bukti kalau bocah lelaki yang terdampar di pulau terpencil nyatanya malah saling membantu untuk bertahan hidup。 Bukan saling bunuh atau menunjukkan sifat kanibalisme。 Itu masih sebagian kecil dari yang dibuktikan oleh Bregman dengan bantuan latar belakang pendidikannya。 Ada pula tulisan-tulisan yang mengatakan kalau The Selfish Gene -nya Dawkins atau Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed -nya Jared Diamond tidak bisa secara mentah-mentah diterima begitu saja。 Dalam Humankind， ada bab yang menjelaskan kekeliruan dalam The Bystander Effect （silakan Googling apa artinya）。 Bregman menunjukkan bukti-bukti bahwa manusia sejatinya tidak egois dan mau membantu sama lain。 Philip Zimbardo's study wasn't just dubious。 It was a hoax。Sebentar。 Stanford Prison Experiment adalah hoaks？ Ya， kata Bregman begitu。 Bregman tidak sekadar omong kosong。 Ia memang menjelaskan banyak sekali bukti-bukti bahwa studi yang dilakukan oleh Zimbardo （dan kemudian menjadi tidak terkendali） ini sudah secara salah diadaptasi begitu saja dalam dunia psikologi。 Bahkan hingga kini。 Bab tentang eksperimen Zimbardo dan Milgram Experiment adalah bagian favoritku。 Seakan-akan， Bregman mengatakan， "Hai， yang kalian akui sebagai sebuah studi yang mengubah dunia psikologi ternyata tidak akurat！"Membaca Humankind ini menjadi sebuah pengalaman baca yang unik buatku。 Di saat bersamaan， aku tengah menjadi subyek penelitian dari TED Mystery Experiment。 Aku tidak tahu apa tujuan dari penelitian itu。 Aku hanya diberi instruksi dan ada formulir yang harus aku isi （salah satu pertanyaannya adalah "bagaimana perasaanmu ketika terpilih menjadi subyek penelitian ini？"）。 Dalam hati， aku merasa seperti eksperimen-eksperimen yang ditulis Bregman dalam bukunya untuk membuktikan kalau umat manusia itu memang baik dan kebaikannya bisa menular serta bisa bertumbuh menjadi sesuatu yang bersifat kolektif。 Untuk teman-teman yang sudah terpapar dengan tulisan Richard Dawkins， Jared Diamond， Yuval Noah Harari， silakan membaca Humankind sebagai penyeimbang。 Sungguh sebuah bacaan menarik！ 。。。more
Claire Baxter
，
I wavered between 4 and 5 for this one。 For the first third of this book I was a bit unsure。 I felt some of his arguments were a little black-and-white and presented as fact things we can't possibly know for sure， about prehistoric societies， for example。 But the middle third I really enjoyed and was so relevant to current debates in Australia about migration， refugees， sexism， and welfare recipients。 I wanted to immediately order copies to send to our federal cabinet ministers。Having looked at I wavered between 4 and 5 for this one。 For the first third of this book I was a bit unsure。 I felt some of his arguments were a little black-and-white and presented as fact things we can't possibly know for sure， about prehistoric societies， for example。 But the middle third I really enjoyed and was so relevant to current debates in Australia about migration， refugees， sexism， and welfare recipients。 I wanted to immediately order copies to send to our federal cabinet ministers。Having looked at some of the other reviews:Is the book biased and does it cherry-pick examples？ - yeah probablyIs it thought-provoking？ - yes definitelyShould you accept everything it says？ - probably notShould you read it？ - yes 。。。more
Tristan
，
While I love "popular" science and history （eg "The Gene: An Intimate History， "The Making of the Atomic Bomb"， or "The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner"） I'm not a fan of this particular style of "popularized" non-fiction。 I've never read a fking Gladwell and I never will。Ultimately I found the tone so annoying that I had to stop reading。 Maybe after I've finished reading some better books I'll revisit and explain why it fell short for me。 While I love "popular" science and history （eg "The Gene: An Intimate History， "The Making of the Atomic Bomb"， or "The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner"） I'm not a fan of this particular style of "popularized" non-fiction。 I've never read a fking Gladwell and I never will。Ultimately I found the tone so annoying that I had to stop reading。 Maybe after I've finished reading some better books I'll revisit and explain why it fell short for me。 。。。more
Ismail Mayat
，
Fascinating book， after the debacle of brexit and trump some hope。 Really needed to hear what author had to say， over turned alot of things I had stuck in my head about human nature。
Marlies Vandenberghe
，
Een erg aangenaam boek dat je opnieuw doet geloven in de mensheid。
Juho Pohjalainen
，
We're all too cynical。 We all think the world is full of bad people， we all read too many awful news on the internet， we all love to pick fights with somebody that we hate - thinking we're in the right and that we're justified， not realizing they're feeling the exact same。This is a book that we all should read。 It opens our minds， with examples and ideas and good philosophy， by an author who's done his best to look things from every point of view and clearly isn't afraid to be proven wrong。 It w We're all too cynical。 We all think the world is full of bad people， we all read too many awful news on the internet， we all love to pick fights with somebody that we hate - thinking we're in the right and that we're justified， not realizing they're feeling the exact same。This is a book that we all should read。 It opens our minds， with examples and ideas and good philosophy， by an author who's done his best to look things from every point of view and clearly isn't afraid to be proven wrong。 It will give us all better tools to improve the world and ourselves。 You should all read it。And if you still feel cynical， if you think Bregman is wrong， if you think humans are not always good， and if you think you're actually justified in hating somebody。。。 remember， hatred is a very easy and attractive and cathartic emotion。 It's so much simpler to just think someone is a bad person and that you yourself do not need to change。 It feels good to make hateful comments on the internet and put somebody down - gives you this feeling of standing up to a cause。 But none of that makes it right。 After all， they also feel the exact same way， and you don't like it when they do it， do you？ 。。。more
Malene
，