Humankind by Rutger Bregman 

Humankind is an intensely readable, uplifting and educational book. 

Bregman sets out to show that humans are intrinsically good and want the best for each other.

He spends a good proportion of the book refuting negative portrayals of human nature. He picks apart Lord of the Flies, the Stanford prison experiment, the history of Easter Island, bystander apathy as well as other misrepresented or misconstrued events. 

It would seem that the mainstream media has a lot to answer for in creating a negative view of humanity. Sensationalism being a major selling point. “The news, according to dozens of studies is a mental health hazard.” It’s also a hazard to democracy (at least in the UK) but I’ll leave that point for now. 

Bregman states that “It’s when crisis hits...that we humans become our best selves.” This is definitely true in the age of Corona. Communities have rallied together to support the vulnerable. Our local boat community has set up networks of support that will continue long after the virus runs its course. 

As a former teacher I could see children thrive when they were encouraged and praised. Assume the best in people and you will meet their best. Bregman argues that this kind of thinking has the power to reform our schools, prisons, businesses and democracies. 

This is what I was hoping for from this book. Unfortunately there’s a long way to go before Bregman has a fully fledged theory of his own. His ten rules to live by are a great start. We all need kindness, compassion and understanding for one another.

Hope, for me, is a radical act. “For the powerful, a hopeful view of human nature is downright threatening. Subversive. Seditious. It implies that we ’re not selfish beasts that need to be reined in, restrained and regulated. It implies that we need a different kind of leadership.” 

Hope gives us the power to change ourselves and our societies. This book really made me think and question. It took a long time to read but I think it will stay with me for a long time. I recommend it as an antidote to mainstream media! 

Thanks to @netgalley and @bloomsburypublishing for my eARC. 

#netgalley #rutgerbregman

It was a fascinating, complex and thought provoking book but not an easy one as it's packed of information and food for thought.
I liked the basic theory, all men are good, and I liked how the author use historical examples to support his theory.
It's not the kind of book you read when you want something light and entertaining.
I strongly recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

3.5/5

Wow. This book takes all of my brain and then some. This is not the kind of thing you want to read when you're looking for something comforting or easy. Bregman presents dense, meticulously researched evidence to support his claims that humans are intrinsically good, even when we believe they're bad. He combs anthropology, psychology, philosophy, sociology - and puts it all into this tome about humankind. 

This book is a lot and right now, I was just not in the right mindset. For about half of it, I was on-board, paying attention, absorbing the information, but after 200+ pages without a break from the intensity of this book, I got really fatigued by it. Picking it up felt like a real chore. There's nothing inherently wrong with the book, but I managed to get through his first book - 'Utopia for Realists' - with a bit more speed and comprehension. In fact, this book is almost OVER populated with information, analyses and cases. You quickly lose your footing as an avalanche of evidence comes tumbling over you.

If you can get along with dense nonfiction, there's really no better time to read something like this. It praises humanity's ability to come together in a crisis and debunks studies and experiments that have attempted to provide a more cynical view on humanity. There are moments of great joy and epiphany in this book, but it's so easy to get worn out by it constantly being 'on'. It's like reading an academic textbook cover to cover.