Syndetics cover image
Image from Syndetics

Humankind : a hopeful history / Rutger Bregman ; translated from the Dutch by Elizabeth Manton and Erica Moore.

By: Contributor(s): Material type: TextTextLanguage: English Original language: Dutch Publisher: New York, NY : Back Bay Books, 2021Edition: First Back Bay paperback editionDescription: xviii, 461 pages : illustrations, maps ; 21 cmContent type:
  • text
  • still image
  • cartographic image
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9780316418522
  • 0316418528
Uniform titles:
  • Meeste mensen deugen. English
Subject(s): Genre/Form:
Contents:
Prologue -- 1. A new realism -- 2. The real Lord of the Flies -- Part 1. The State of Nature -- 3. The rise of Homo puppy -- 4. Colonel Marshall and the soldiers who wouldn't shoot -- 5. The curse of civilisation -- 6. The mystery of Easter Island -- Part 2. After Auschwitz -- 7. In the basement of Stanford University -- 8. Stanley Milgram and the shock machine -- 9. The death of Catherine Susan Genovese -- Part 3. Why Good People Turn Bad -- 10. How empathy blinds -- 11. How power corrupts -- 12. What the Enlightenment got wrong -- Part 4. A New Realism -- 13. The power of intrinsic motivation -- 14. Homo ludens -- 15. This is what democracy looks like -- Part 5. The Other Cheek -- 16. Drinking tea with terrorists -- 17. The best remedy for hate, injustice and prejudice -- 18. When the soldiers came out of the trenches -- Epilogue. Ten Rules to Live By -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Index.
Summary: It's a belief that unites the left and right, psychologists and philosophers, writers and historians. It drives the headlines that surround us and the laws that touch our lives. From Machiavelli to Hobbes, Freud to Dawkins, the roots of this belief have sunk deep into Western thought. Human beings, we're taught, are by nature selfish and governed by self-interest. Humankind makes a new argument : that it is realistic, as well as revolutionary, to assume that people are good. The instinct to cooperate rather than compete, trust rather than distrust, has an evolutionary basis going right back to the beginning of Homo sapiens. By thinking the worst of others, we bring out the worst in our politics and economics too. In this major book, internationally bestselling author Rutger Bregman takes some of the world's most famous studies and events and reframes them, providing a new perspective on the last 200,000 years of human history. From the real-life Lord of the Flies to the Blitz, a Siberian fox farm to an infamous New York murder, Stanley Milgram's Yale shock machine to the Stanford prison experiment, Bregman shows how believing in human kindness and altruism can be a new way to think - and act as the foundation for achieving true change in our society. It is time for a new view of human nature.
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 128 B833 Available 33111010749576
Adult Book Adult Book Northport Library NonFiction 128 B833 Available 33111009863453
Total holds: 1

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER



The "lively" ( The New Yorker) , "convincing" ( Forbes ), and "riveting pick-me-up we all need right now" ( People ) that proves humanity thrives in a crisis and that our innate kindness and cooperation have been the greatest factors in our long-term success as a species.



If there is one belief that has united the left and the right, psychologists and philosophers, ancient thinkers and modern ones, it is the tacit assumption that humans are bad. It's a notion that drives newspaper headlines and guides the laws that shape our lives. From Machiavelli to Hobbes, Freud to Pinker, the roots of this belief have sunk deep into Western thought. Human beings, we're taught, are by nature selfish and governed primarily by self-interest.



But what if it isn't true? International bestseller Rutger Bregman provides new perspective on the past 200,000 years of human history, setting out to prove that we are hardwired for kindness, geared toward cooperation rather than competition, and more inclined to trust rather than distrust one another. In fact this instinct has a firm evolutionary basis going back to the beginning of Homo sapiens .



From the real-life Lord of the Flies to the solidarity in the aftermath of the Blitz, the hidden flaws in the Stanford prison experiment to the true story of twin brothers on opposite sides who helped Mandela end apartheid, Bregman shows us that believing in human generosity and collaboration isn't merely optimistic--it's realistic. Moreover, it has huge implications for how society functions. When we think the worst of people, it brings out the worst in our politics and economics. But if we believe in the reality of humanity's kindness and altruism, it will form the foundation for achieving true change in society, a case that Bregman makes convincingly with his signature wit, refreshing frankness, and memorable storytelling.



"The Sapiens of 2020." -- The Guardian



" Humankind made me see humanity from a fresh perspective." --Yuval Noah Harari, author of the #1 bestseller Sapiens



Longlisted for the 2021 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction



One of the Washington Post 's 50 Notable Nonfiction Works in 2020

Includes bibliographical references (pages 401-452) and index.

Prologue -- 1. A new realism -- 2. The real Lord of the Flies -- Part 1. The State of Nature -- 3. The rise of Homo puppy -- 4. Colonel Marshall and the soldiers who wouldn't shoot -- 5. The curse of civilisation -- 6. The mystery of Easter Island -- Part 2. After Auschwitz -- 7. In the basement of Stanford University -- 8. Stanley Milgram and the shock machine -- 9. The death of Catherine Susan Genovese -- Part 3. Why Good People Turn Bad -- 10. How empathy blinds -- 11. How power corrupts -- 12. What the Enlightenment got wrong -- Part 4. A New Realism -- 13. The power of intrinsic motivation -- 14. Homo ludens -- 15. This is what democracy looks like -- Part 5. The Other Cheek -- 16. Drinking tea with terrorists -- 17. The best remedy for hate, injustice and prejudice -- 18. When the soldiers came out of the trenches -- Epilogue. Ten Rules to Live By -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Index.

It's a belief that unites the left and right, psychologists and philosophers, writers and historians. It drives the headlines that surround us and the laws that touch our lives. From Machiavelli to Hobbes, Freud to Dawkins, the roots of this belief have sunk deep into Western thought. Human beings, we're taught, are by nature selfish and governed by self-interest. Humankind makes a new argument : that it is realistic, as well as revolutionary, to assume that people are good. The instinct to cooperate rather than compete, trust rather than distrust, has an evolutionary basis going right back to the beginning of Homo sapiens. By thinking the worst of others, we bring out the worst in our politics and economics too. In this major book, internationally bestselling author Rutger Bregman takes some of the world's most famous studies and events and reframes them, providing a new perspective on the last 200,000 years of human history. From the real-life Lord of the Flies to the Blitz, a Siberian fox farm to an infamous New York murder, Stanley Milgram's Yale shock machine to the Stanford prison experiment, Bregman shows how believing in human kindness and altruism can be a new way to think - and act as the foundation for achieving true change in our society. It is time for a new view of human nature.

Translated from the Dutch.

Powered by Koha