Humankind

One of the best non-fiction books I have read this year; I got through it in two sittings. Humankind is about an incredibly simple idea with deeply profound societal implications: that most humans beings are inherently good, not inherently evil. Unlike that of the Hobbes and Rousseau debate, Bregman shows that we now have the scientific literature to show this truth empirically, rather than philosophically. And I think he is right.

The book takes on all of the counterarguments that might immediately jump into your head upon hearing the author’s assertion: showing that the Stanford Prison Experiment was at best scientifically void and at worst outright fraudulent, re-casting the true history of Easter Island, showcasing the actions of everyday Brits and Germans during the bombing raids of WW2, debunking the Milgram shock machine experiment, and much much more. In doing so, Bregman is happy to take on some of the world’s most famous psychologists, philosophers and public intellectuals, which makes for an engaging and aggressive argumentation that glues you to the page.

Bregman is the first to admit that he is emotionally motivated to prove that our world is one in which people are inherently kind, and that can bleed through into his argumentation at times. But this book is not meant to be a dry, fully dispassionate scientific analysis (although he does go out of his way to employ deep rigor to each and every one of his assertions).

More so, this is a book about a “dangerous” and revolutionary idea. Bregman is right that the collective assumption that humans are inherently evil serves as a reverse placebo (a nocebo) which in turn self-fulfills, creating a reality in which many in turn do act in evil ways, out of mistrust, or due to the institutions that benefit from them. He takes on Hollywood, even fiction classics like The Lord of the Flies for their inaccuracy and perpetuation of Hobbesian thinking. Beyond all else, it is clear from cover to cover that Bregman is truly thinking for himself, pushing forward an idea that faces deep resistance, but is a key to solving many of the systemic issues plaguing society. Bravo.