Hope in the time of
COVID-19
Given the option of a dark and dystopian show , or a light , fluffy comedy , Netflix users widely tuned into the latter in 2020 . This shift towards comfort and positivity bodes well for Dutch historian Rutger Bregman ’ s new book Humankind : A Hopeful History .
Bregman is famous for more than the four books he has written on history , philosophy and economics . In 2019 he lambasted the world ’ s elite , gathered at the exclusive World Economic Forum , over tax avoidance , ‘ stupid philanthropy schemes ’ and jetting in on private planes to talk about climate change . He is a straight shooter , but also a positive soul in a world aching for some good news .
In Humankind , his latest book , Bregman debunks the notion that human beings are , fundamentally , bad and driven by self-interest . Instead , he makes a convincing case for human kindness , empathy , generosity and the capacity for collaboration . In Bregman ’ s hands the future looks less like Mad Max or Blade Runner and more akin to the Star Trek franchise .
The likes of Simon Kuper from the Financial Times , who interviewed Bregman in mid-2020 , described the 480-page Humankind as ‘ spellbinding ’ and an impressive synthesis of ‘ libraries full of academic research ’. Kuper wrote : “ It all feeds into his thesis : most people ( except the ones who become leaders ) are altruistic , at least to those whom they see as members of their in-group ( so they might be cruel to migrants , for instance ). The claim at times feels too grand , and the book overambitious , but Bregman said this central finding reflects a growing consensus in fields from biology to psychology to anthropology .”
During a 2020 podcast interview with the journal Science , Bregman explained his position to Dr Kiki Sanford : “ I saw that so many scientists from so many different disciplines – anthropologists , psychologists , sociologists – all seemed to be moving from a quite cynical view of human nature to a more hopeful , optimistic view of who we are as a species . This book is my attempt to make a synthesis of all these different disciplines ; moving towards what I think is a new and hopeful view of human nature .”
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