Humankind: A Hopeful History

In the realm of today’s thought leaders, Rutger Bregman is an intellectual outlier, carving out a distinct niche by challenging some of society’s most deeply ingrained societal assumptions. Originating from the Netherlands—a country known for its progressive social experiments—Bregman’s work embodies an optimism about human nature that bucks the conventional wisdom. His prior efforts, like Utopia for Realists, laid the groundwork for his more expansive exploration in Humankind. By offering this lens of Dutch progressivism, colored by his country’s penchant for egalitarian policymaking, Bregman provides a counterpoint to the views that readers, especially those nurtured in different socio-political ecosystems, might bring to the table.

Specifically, in Humankind, Bregman serves as an antagonist to two deeply entrenched ideological perspectives: the Hobbesian view, which posits humans as intrinsically self-interested and pugnacious, and neoliberalism, which extols the virtues of individualism and competition. Bregman dismantles these ideologies by arguing that they are not only faulty but also self-fulfilling; they perpetuate societal systems that encourage competition and exacerbate human flaws, such as selfishness. In opposing these perspectives, Bregman urges an ideological shift toward compassion and collaboration, anchored in the belief that altruism and cooperation are not aberrations but core elements of human nature. He argues that existing systemic constructs frequently fail to cultivate these innate traits and, in turn, have often detrimental societal effects. Dissecting and understanding Bregman’s book and broader body of work necessitates a grasp of the ideological context in which Bregman operates. In this context, Humankind is a contrarian narrative that speaks directly to established worldviews, prompting readers to reconsider entrenched societal beliefs and paradigms.