Humankind: A Hopeful History

"One of the key things that comes through in this book is how Rutger Bregman claims back the notion of ‘realism’ from the cynics. For too long, ‘being realistic’ was a byword for being cynical. You know, the tendency that people have to say things like, ‘Come on, be realistic…’? There’s a negative undertone to the idea of being realistic. Bregman’s point is that if we are going to be realistic, then there’s a lot to be optimistic about with regard to humankind. He has a lightness to his writing style, it’s slightly whimsical but never disregards the importance of and gravity of the material. He’s a historian, and in the book he revisits landmark events in human evolution, but also more recent historical events. Particular focus is given to a moral and political philosophical perspective known as Veneer theory . Veneer theory has developed from contributions made by people like Frans de Waal, Thomas Henry Huxley and Thomas Hobbes; it’s this idea that civilization is this very thin veneer, just struggling to keep a lid on all our carnal, dark motivations. Rutger Bregman is seeking to undermine the legitimacy and credibility of Veneer theory. He revisits significant research studies, like the Stanford Prison Experiment and Milgram’s electric shock experiments, which are held up as being indicators of our dark motives and evil intent. But actually, he would argue that aspects of the data from these studies have been misrepresented. There’s also works of fiction like William Golding’s Lord of the Flies that he takes issue with; he did some research and actually found the real-life story of a Lord of the Flies island and a group of 6 boys who were washed up on a Tongan island in the 1960s. It turned out that rather than descending into acts of cruelty and barbarism, they actually conducted themselves in a fairly democratic, friendly, and supportive way. It’s a fascinating read, a surprising read, and I think a vital read. I think that’s right. Bregman highlights the need for us to be sensitive and considered digesters of news, because—by its nature—it is focussed on the difficult, the shocking, and the unusual. So, there’s a bias in what gets reported, and so too much exposure to news can distort our sense of humankind."