Instead whisper this radical thought: “most people, deep down, are pretty decent.”
Rutger Bregman`s latest book, Humankind, looks like a challenging, hefty tome but while it may indeed challenge many deeply held convictions it is an eminently readable, rigorously researched examination of why we`re so willing to believe that humans are basically selfish and self-interested.
Lord of the Flies? Try reading what actually happened when that story was played out in real life. It turns out that it`s a “heart-warming story” of cooperation, initiative and generosity.
Or did you read, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, reports of rapes and murders and looting? In other words, as an article in the Guardian put it, “Remove the elementary staples of organised, civilised life….and we go back within hours to…. a war of all against all”.
Turns out that wasn`t quite true either.
In fact, as subsequent research demonstrated, “the overwhelming majority of the emergent activity was prosocial in nature.” Rather than anarchy and self-interest, overwhelmingly, the city was “inundated with courage and charity”.
But don`t run away with the idea that Humankind is some kind of hippy-dippy-let`s-all-hold-hands-and-sing-It`s-A-Wonderful-World treatise. As Bregman says:
“this book is not a sermon on the fundamental goodness of people. Obviously we`re not angels. We`re complex creatures,with a good
side and a not-so-good side. The question is which side we turn to”.
The book debunks numerous stories and studies which purport to demonstrate the essential “savagery” of the human race but then digs deeper to try and find out why so many are willing to believe in this view of humanity.
And perhaps not surprisingly it turns out to have a lot to do with power and vested interests:
“for the powerful, a hopeful view of human nature is downright threatening. It implies that we`re not selfish beasts that need to be reined in, restrained and regulated…… a democracy with engaged citizens has no need of career politicians.”
Bregman`s thesis is a meticulous historical analysis of how we got to a place where our social structures are predicated on the understanding that humans are intrinsically brutal and self-centred. If, instead, we could base processes and organisations on an understanding that most people are decent and kind, the results could be genuinely revolutionary.
Not convinced? At least read this book before you make up your mind.
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