Rutger Bregman: Humankind (2020, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc)
496 pages
English language
Published Jan. 8, 2020 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
Der Historiker Rutger Bregman setzt sich in seinem Buch mit dem Wesen des Menschen auseinander. Anders als in der westlichen Denktradition angenommen ist der Mensch nicht böse, sondern, so Bregman, im Gegenteil: von Grund auf gut. Und geht man von dieser Prämisse aus, ist es möglich, die Welt und den Menschen in ihr komplett neu und grundoptimistisch zu denken. In seinem mitreißend geschriebenen, überzeugenden Buch präsentiert Bregman Ideen für die Verbesserung der Welt. Sie sind innovativ und mutig und stimmen vor allem hoffnungsfroh.
Costa creure en la Humanitat quan veus segons què i tot sembla anar a pitjor dia rere dia, sense esperança en què un món millor sigui possible. Sort de llibres com aquest que ens hi reconcilien. La gent és bona per naturalesa i, encara que et titllin de ridícul o d'ingenu, cal actuar en conseqüència. La ingenuïtat d'avui pot ser el sentit comú de demà.
This well-written work debunks negative stereotypes and psychological studies with excellent evidence, revealing that on the whole, humans are good. As a bonus, the author also explains the motivation of Nazis, terrorists, nationalists and racists. Believing in human generosity and kindness isn't merely optimistic, it's realistic.
Dig behind the fictional Lord of the Flies and you find a real incident which was far more hopeful. Behind the Stanford prison experiment and the Milgram shock machine you find lies and coaching, designed to attract viewers the same way sensationalist news does today. The research and facts this author has put together provide both a debunking of the cynical view and a breath of fresh air. Speaking of the news, "turn it off" is one of the suggestions in the epilogue "Ten Rules to Live By".
This book is an excellent counterpart to [a:Hans Rosling|2790706|Hans Rosling|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1486521286p2/2790706.jpg]'s Factfulness, which tells how the world …
This well-written work debunks negative stereotypes and psychological studies with excellent evidence, revealing that on the whole, humans are good. As a bonus, the author also explains the motivation of Nazis, terrorists, nationalists and racists. Believing in human generosity and kindness isn't merely optimistic, it's realistic.
Dig behind the fictional Lord of the Flies and you find a real incident which was far more hopeful. Behind the Stanford prison experiment and the Milgram shock machine you find lies and coaching, designed to attract viewers the same way sensationalist news does today. The research and facts this author has put together provide both a debunking of the cynical view and a breath of fresh air. Speaking of the news, "turn it off" is one of the suggestions in the epilogue "Ten Rules to Live By".
This book is an excellent counterpart to [a:Hans Rosling|2790706|Hans Rosling|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1486521286p2/2790706.jpg]'s Factfulness, which tells how the world is better off than you might think. Neither of these glosses over the problems that occur, but both put them in context and suggest ways to deal with them. I plan to reread Humankind in the future, and also want to read more from this author - though not in the original Dutch.
Highly recommended - and a relatively quick read, despite being more than 450 pages.
Prachtig boek :)
Een goed boek met een geweldig sentiment. De auteur heeft uitbundig onderzoek gedaan en neemt de lezer aan de hand door diepe discussies over het menselijke bestaan. Ik was onder de indruk van de nauwkeurige bronvermelding. Soms voelt het echter alsof het boek als schoolboek bedoeld is en wordt er niet alleen terugverwezen, maar ook een hoop herhaald. Hierdoor voelen sommige hoofdstukken wat langdradig en duurt het voor mijn gevoel soms wat lang voor de auteur bij de kern van het hoofdstuk aankomt. Al met al is het toch zeker het lezen waard!
