ALPHABETICAL BRAIN® VOCABULARY HUMANIST SECULAR SCIENCE STAR RUTGER BREGMAN May 3, 2022 HUMANKIND: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman and Erica Moore (Translator) Little, Brown, 2020 (480 pages) [Original publisher: Adams Media, 2016 (238 pages)] Quote = "A realistic view of human nature cannot help but have major implications for how you interact with other people." (By author Rutger Bregman, page 382) Quote = "This book demolishes the cynical view that humans are inherently nasty and selfish, and paints a portrait of human nature that's not only more uplifting — it's also more accurate... by taking us on a guided tour of the past, he reveals how we can build a world with more givers than takers in the future." (By Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of the two books, Give and Take and Originals) Quote = "Some books challenge our ideas. But this book challenges the very premises on which those ideas are based. Its bold, sweeping argument will make you rethink what you believe about society, democracy, and human nature itself. In a sea of cynicism, this book is the sturdy, unsinkable lifeboat the world needs." (By Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the two books, When and A Whole New Mind) Quote = "I greatly enjoyed reading Humankind. It made me see humanity from a fresh perspective and challenged me to rethink many long-held beliefs. I warmly recommend it to others, and I trust it will stir a lot of fruitful discussions." (Yuval Noah Harari, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the two books, Sapiens and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century) Quote = "Rutger Bregman is out on his own, thinking for himself, using history to give the rest of us a chance to build a much better future than we can presently imagine." (By Timothy Snyder, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the two books, On Tyranny and Bloodlands) Quote = "The book is an enjoyable and thought-provoking read. It is one whose bold argument has potentially far-reaching implications for how we run our governments, workplaces, schools, and correctional facilities. Bregman is not naive, since he grounds his arguments in reassessments of historical events and in studies from the sciences and social sciences. And he debunks a number of long-held social beliefs." (By Barbara Spindel, Christian Science Monitor) BOOK OUTLINE note = Numbers in parentheses refer to pages PROLOGUE (xi-xviii) (9-10) 1) A NEW REALISM (1-20) 2) THE REAL LORD OF THE FLIES (21-38) PART 1 — THE STATE OF NATURE (41-134) Quote = David Hume (41) Introduction (43-47) 3) THE RISE OF HOMO PUPPY (49-72) 4) COLONEL MARSHALL AND THE SOLDIERS WHO WOULDN'T SHOOT (73-91) 5) THE CURSE OF CIVILIZATION (93-112) 6) THE MYSTERY OF EASTER ISLAND (113-134) PART 2 — AFTER AUSCHWITZ (135-194) Quote = Anne Frank (135) Introduction (137-138) 7) IN THE BASEMENT OF STANFORD UNIVERSITY (139-157) 8) STANLEY MILGRAM AND THE SHOCK MACHINE (159-178) 9) THE DEATH OF CATHERINE SUSAN GENOVESE (179-194) PART 3 — WHY GOOD PEOPLE TURN BAD (195-250) Quote = Baruch Spinoza [1632-1677] (195) Introduction = (197-199) 10) HOW EMPATHY BLINDS (201-221) 11) HOW POWER CORRUPTS (223-239) 12) WHAT THE ENLIGHTENMENT GOT WRONG (241-250) PART 4 — A NEW REALISM (251-) Quote = Victor Frankl [1905 -1997] (250) Introduction = (253-162) 13) THE POWER OF INTRINSIC MOTIVATION (263-278) 14) HOMO LUDENS (279-295) 15) THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE (297-317) PART 5 — THE OTHER CHEEK (319-378) Quote = George Bernard Shaw [1856 -1950] (319) Introduction = (321-323) 16) DRINKING TEA WITH TERRORISTS (325-346) 17) THE BEST REMEDY FOR HATE, INJUSTICE AND PREJUDICE (347-363) 18) WHEN THE SOLDIERS CAME OUT OF THE TRENCHES (365-378) EPILOGUE --- TEN RULES TO LIVE BY (379-397) (1) When in doubt, assume the best! (382-383) (2) Think in win-win scenarios (383-385) (3) Ask more questions (385-386) (4) Temper your empathy, train your compassion (386-387) (5) Try to understand the other, even if you don't get where they're coming from (388-389) (6) Love your own as others love their own (389-391) (7) Avoid the news (391-392) (8) Don't punch Nazis (392-394) (9) Come out of the closet: don't be ashamed to do good (394-397) (10) Be realistic (397) ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (399-400) NOTES (401-452) INDEX (453-461) A NOTE ON THE AUTHOR (unpaged last page) AUTHOR NOTES, SUMMARY, AND BOOK DESCRIPTION AUTHOR NOTES = Rutger Bregman is a historian and writer at The Correspondent. The 27-year-old historian and author has published four books on history, philosophy, and economics. His book History of Progress, was awarded the Belgian Liberales prize for best nonfiction book of 2013. The Dutch edition of Utopia for Realists became a national bestseller and sparked a basic income movement that soon made international headlines. Bregman has twice been nominated for the prestigious European Press Prize for his journalism work at The Correspondent. His work has been featured in The Washington Post and on the BBC. Instant New York Times bestseller. SUMMARY = Bregman is one of Europe's most prominent young thinkers. He shows us that believing in human generosity and collaboration is not merely optimistic — it is realistic. Moreover, it has huge implications for how society functions. If we believe in the reality of humanity's kindness and altruism, it can form the foundation for achieving true change in society, a case that Bregman makes convincingly with his signature wit, refreshing frankness, and memorable storytelling. BOOK DESCRIPTION = 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. However, if there is one belief that has united the left and the right in the past, psychologists and philosophers, ancient thinkers and modern ones, it is the tacit assumption that humans are bad. It is an opinion 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 have been taught, are by nature selfish and governed primarily by self-interest. From the real-life book, 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. Unfortunately, when we think the worst of people, it brings out the worst in our politics and economics. From the author of the New York Times bestseller Utopia for Realists comes "the riveting pick-me-up we all need right now" ( People ), the #1 Dutch bestseller Humankind, which offers a "bold" (Daniel H. Pink), "extraordinary" (Susan Cain) argument that humans thrive in a crisis and that our innate kindness and cooperation have been the greatest factors in our long-term success on the planet. EDITORIAL BOOK REVIEW PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY REVIEW = Dutch historian Bregman (Utopia for Realists) puts a positive spin on human behavior in this intriguing survey of politics, literature, psychology, sociology, and philosophy. To prove his hypothesis that humankind is basically good, Bregman reevaluates some of the most entrenched cultural narratives suggesting otherwise. For example, six Tongan boys shipwrecked on an island in the 1960s didn't beat each other senseless — à la William Golding's characters in The Lord of the Flies — but lived harmoniously until their rescue a year later. Bregman also revisits the Stanford Prison Experiment (researchers muddled the study by ensuring that students chosen as guards would be cruel to those posing as prisoners) and the 1964 murder of Kitty Genovese, in which 37 bystanders supposedly heard her cries for help but failed to intervene. However, Bregman offers evidence that several people actually did call the police, and that one of Kitty's neighbors ran directly to her aid). Bregman even attempts to fold the Holocaust into his theory, but his explanation that the Nazis "believed they were on the right side of history" fails to either hearten or persuade. Overall, however, this intelligent and reassuring chronicle disproves much received wisdom about the dark side of human nature. Readers looking for solace in uncertain times will find it here. PROFESSIONAL BOOK REVIEWS [1] Rutger Bregman is one of the most provocative thinkers of our time... This book demolishes the cynical view that humans are inherently nasty and selfish, and paints a portrait of human nature that's not only more uplifting — it's also more accurate... by taking us on a guided tour of the past, he reveals how we can build a world with more givers than takers in the future. – Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of the two books, Give and Take and Originals. [2] Some books challenge our ideas. But Humankind challenges the very premises on which those ideas are based. Its bold, sweeping argument will make you rethink what you believe about society, democracy, and human nature itself. In a sea of cynicism, this book is the sturdy, unsinkable lifeboat the world needs. – Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the two books, When and A Whole New Mind. [3] I greatly enjoyed reading Humankind. It made me see humanity from a fresh perspective and challenged me to rethink many long-held beliefs. I warmly recommend it to others, and I trust it will stir a lot of fruitful discussions. – Yuval Noah Harari, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the two books, Sapiens and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century. [4] A lively social history... Bregman offers a compelling case for reshaping institutions and policies along genuinely humane lines. – The New Yorker. [5] Rutger Bregman's extraordinary new book is a revelation. Although Humankind is masterful in its grasp of history, both ancient and modern, the real achievement is Bregman's application of history to a new understanding of human nature. Humankind changes the conversation and lights the path to a brighter future. We need it now more than ever. – Susan Cain, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling book, Quiet. [6] Bregman's argument is simple but radical: Most people are good, and we do ourselves a disservice by thinking the worst of others. Bregman argues that believing in human kindness is a foundation for lasting social change. – Barbara VanDenburgh, USA Today. [7] Bregman puts together a compelling argument that society has been built on a false premise... He has a Gladwellian gift for sifting through academic reports and finding anecdotal jewels... Bregman never loses sight of his central thesis, that at root humans are 'friendly, peaceful, and healthy'... There is a great deal of reassuring human decency to be taken from this bold and thought-provoking book and a wealth of evidence in support of the contention that the sense of who we are as a species has been deleteriously distorted... It makes a welcome change to read such a sustained and enjoyable tribute to our better natures – Andrew Anthony, The Guardian [8] Rutger Bregman is out on his own, thinking for himself, using history to give the rest of us a chance to build a much better future than we can presently imagine. – Timothy Snyder, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the books, On Tyranny and Bloodlands. [9] Humankind is an enjoyable and thought-provoking read, one whose bold argument has potentially far-reaching implications for how we run our governments, workplaces, schools, and correctional facilities… Bregman is not naive; he grounds his arguments in reassessments of historical events and in studies from the sciences and social sciences… and debunks a number of long-held beliefs… Bregman presents his findings in a chatty, engaging style that evokes Malcolm Gladwell. – Barbara Spindel, Christian Science Monitor. [10] Rutger Bregman is one of my favorite thinkers. His latest book challenges our basic assumptions about human nature in a way that opens up a world of new possibilities. Humankind is simple, perceptive and powerful in the way that the best books and arguments are." – Andrew Yang, former US Presidential candidate and New York Times bestselling author of the book, The War on Normal People. REMEMBER ALWAYS: You Are Your Adaptable Memory! instantly return to: Introduction - Section 1 - Details WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE ALPHABETICAL BRAIN WEBSITE? ALPHABETICAL BRAIN® VOCABULARY produced by Infinite Interactive Ideas®