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All 16 learnings · one per slide
Humankind
Rutger Bregman, in bytes
16 key learnings on the case that most people are fundamentally decent.
16 learnings · ~40 sec eachSwipe →
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Humankind, in bytes
16 key learnings from Rutger Bregman's argument that humans are kinder than we assume, and what follows if we believe it. Each takes about 40 seconds to read. Swipe, use the arrows, or your keyboard.
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Learning 1 · Prologue
A Radical Idea
The idea
Bregman argues most people, deep down, are pretty decent.
Example
In the 1940s London Blitz, people didn't panic but helped each other.
Takeaway
Assume the best in people more often.
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Learning 2
Veneer Theory
The idea
Many believe civilisation is a thin veneer over our selfish nature. Bregman challenges this.
Example
Disasters often bring out cooperation, not chaos.
Takeaway
Kindness may be our nature.
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Learning 3
The Nocebo Effect
The idea
Believing the worst about people can make them worse, like a nocebo.
Example
Expecting bad behaviour can create it.
Takeaway
Our beliefs about people shape them.
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Learning 4
The Real Lord of the Flies
The story
In 1965, six Tongan boys were shipwrecked on the island of 'Ata for over a year. They cooperated, cared for each other and survived.
The contrast
Golding's novel imagined boys descending into savagery.
Takeaway
Reality can be kinder than fiction.
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Learning 5
Homo Puppy
The idea
Bregman argues humans evolved to be friendly, like domesticated animals.
Example
Soviet scientist Dmitry Belyaev bred friendly foxes, which soon looked and acted like dogs.
Takeaway
Friendliness was our evolutionary advantage.
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Learning 6
Easter Island Reconsidered
The idea
Bregman questions the story that Easter Islanders destroyed their society through selfishness.
His view
Much of the collapse came after European contact.
Worth noting
Historians still debate this.
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Learning 7
The Stanford Prison Experiment
The idea
Bregman argues this famous study was flawed: guards were coached to be harsh.
The lesson
Famous evidence of human cruelty isn't as solid as it seemed.
Takeaway
Question famous findings.
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Learning 8
Milgram Revisited
The idea
Milgram's shock experiments are often cited as proof people obey cruelly. Bregman notes many participants doubted or resisted.
Example
Some suspected the shocks weren't real.
Takeaway
Obedience is more complex.
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Learning 9
Kitty Genovese
The idea
The story that 38 witnesses ignored a murder was exaggerated; some did respond.
The lesson
The bystander myth spread from a flawed news report.
Takeaway
Stories of apathy can mislead.
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Learning 10
Soldiers Who Didn't Fire
The idea
Bregman argues many soldiers historically avoided killing, suggesting a deep aversion to violence.
Worth noting
Some evidence for this is disputed.
Takeaway
Most people resist harming others.
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Learning 11
The Christmas Truce
The story
In 1914, British and German soldiers left their trenches to share Christmas greetings and games.
The lesson
Enemies recognised shared humanity.
Takeaway
Contact breaks down hostility.
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Learning 12
Intrinsic Motivation
The idea
People are often motivated by meaning and autonomy, not just rewards.
Example
Buurtzorg, a Dutch home-care company, trusted nurses to run their own teams.
Takeaway
Trust people to do good work.
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Learning 13
Prisons That Trust
The idea
Norway's humane prisons treat inmates with dignity and have low reoffending rates.
Example
Bastøy prison island gives inmates responsibility.
Takeaway
Treating people well can bring out their best.
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Learning 14
Democracy in Action
The story
In Porto Alegre, Brazil, citizens decided parts of the city budget themselves.
The lesson
Participation built trust and better decisions.
Takeaway
Give people a say.
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Learning 15
Mandela and Viljoen
The story
Nelson Mandela reached out to former military leader Constand Viljoen, helping avoid civil war in South Africa.
The lesson
Trust and respect can disarm enemies.
Takeaway
Reach out across divides.
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Learning 16 · Epilogue
Ten Rules to Live By
The idea
Bregman suggests rules like 'When in doubt, assume the best' and 'Think in win-win scenarios'.
Example
Giving a stranger the benefit of the doubt.
Reflect
Where could you assume the best today?
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All 16 learnings complete
That’s all 16 learnings.
If we assume the best in people, they often rise to it. Where could you extend more trust?
Abhay Kumar JaiswalFCA · PMP® · Workday Financeabhayjaiswal.com
Summaries in my own words. Read the book for the full stories.
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Summaries are written in my own words for learning. Read Humankind by Rutger Bregman (2019) for the full stories. Bregman challenges some famous studies; his own interpretations are also debated. More Books in Bytes