Humankind A Hopeful History

Marc Vandenbrande
Oct 20
2 min read

Humankind, A Hopeful History is the title of the English translation of the book written in 2019 by Dutch historian Rutger Bregman. It's title in Dutch: De meeste mensen deugen, Een nieuwe geschiedenis van de mens. (English: Most people are good, A new history of humankind) It has since been translated into 46 languages and has sold over one and a half million copies worldwide.

Content in bullet points

Humans are naturally “good,”, they are, more inclined to cooperate than to compete.
He views human history from a different perspective. At school, we learned history as a series of wars. Those periods between the wars are actually more important. Perhaps more boring to report, but most of the time we live in peace, and every so often we experience a crisis, which is much shorter than the periods between crises.
An optimistic book.

About the book

Nearly 500 pages, but it's a very smooth read
He refutes many "commonly accepted truths." He opens with a description of old rifles from the era of the American Revolution. Many still contain several bullets. One even has twelve in a single barrel. With this, he shatters the cliché that soldiers are killing machines. The "problem" for the generals is that soldiers don't like shooting. The rifles bear witness to soldiers who flouted orders by constantly giving the impression that they were busy.
Finally, he discusses cynicism. He makes a very strong point there, I think. Cynicism is sometimes praised as "being critical." But it isn't. Cynicism is a form of laziness. "In reality, the cynic is actually out of touch with reality. In reality, we live on Planet A, where people are deeply inclined towards good."
The book also has its detractors. Although I know exactly where to place them.
- Possibly because it's not sufficiently scientifically substantiated. I read somewhere that it's "too much based on anecdotes," that he's "primarily a preacher and activist." But that same voice then also states, "Unfortunately, it's already in the Bible: 'The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.'" Cynical...
- Some people read the title as "All people are good," but that's not what it says. It says "Most people." And the book also explains who the minority is that isn't good. When people are in a bubble, I notice that they don't want to get out either; in other words, they don't want to hear the addition "most". That has something to do with how we humans deal with our beliefs.
- And then there's the cynic. But then I also wonder if this isn't more a sign of laziness and cowardice. Being cynical and using strong words sounds pretty cool. Being vulnerable and offering a positive response is sometimes easily dismissed as naive and weak. But a vulnerable and positive story can actually be an expression of great courage. Going along with a negative narrative isn't as innocent as it seems. What you give more attention to, grows. If you give more attention to the negative, it will grow too.