What it is about:
Human beings, we’re taught, are by nature selfish and governed by self-interest. This belief unites people around the (Western) world. It drives the headlines surrounding us and the laws touching our lives.
But are we?
Humankind makes a new argument: that it is realistic and revolutionary to assume that people are good. By thinking the worst of others, we also bring out the worst in our politics and economics.
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. He sets out to prove that we are programmed for kindness, cooperation and trust rather than distrust and competition. He shows how believing in human kindness and altruism can be a new way to think – and act as the foundation for achieving actual change in our society.
Why we love it:
We love it because it gives a scientific, research-backed background to our optimistic outlook on life. We love it because it shows how people who believe in kindness can change the world. We love it because it replaces the cynical view that people are nasty and selfish with a positive and uplifting perspective.
At Little Green House, we’ve always thought that people are inherently good and that the world is better if we meet one another assuming that people are innately kind. Rutger Bregman proves that this is not naive but human nature (at least in most cases). It just needs to be cultivated. At Little Green House, we try to do this every day. We’d love Little Green House children to become happy, creative, free- and democratic-thinking citizens of tomorrow. We’d love them (and our teams) to be united by shared values. And we’d love all of us to “be the change we wish to see in the world.” (as Gandhi already said)
Where to buy:
Orell Füssli (German version)
Orell Füssli (English version)
Payot (French version)
