In a now-viral article on The Guardian, also featured in the prologue of the book, Bregman writes about the real Lord of the Flies story, which supports his thesis.

Published in 1954 and written by William Golding, the novel is considered a classic for its stark take on human nature. It tells the tale of six children stranded on a deserted island who are left to their own devices and begin to turn on one another.

But Lord of the Flies is shelved in the fiction section for a reason. In Humankind, Bregman shares his findings of a true story of what happens to children when they are left alone. He writes about six schoolboys from Tonga who were shipwrecked and lived on the uninhabited island of 'Ata in the Pacific Ocean. For 15 months they got along well and without conflict, or at least, nothing that couldn’t be solved with a mere time-out or handshake.

This actual event, argued Bregman, portrays a more realistic image of humanity, yet one that is rarely talked about and largely overshadowed by stories of violence and atrocities found in the news or history. And this grim view of humanity heavily influences how we treat one another and shapes the society we all live in.

In the early part of his book, Bregman dissects the debate between enlightenment age philosophers Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Hobbes with his Leviathan theory believed that humans lived in a state of war of all against all, and hence needed an authority to create order.

Rousseau, on the other hand, believed that it was authority and the system that brought out the worst in people. The Hobbesian view of the world has been adapted as the basis of realism, which shaped the world today. However, according to Bregman, it is Rousseau's idealistic view that was right all along and it is time, therefore, for a new realism that believes the best in people.

Citing various studies, Bregman builds a case on his thesis that humans are decent by nature. Homo sapiens, Bregman argues, made it this far, beating the stronger and more intelligence (at least judging by their bigger brain volume) Neanderthals because we are better at social learning and cooperation. Our survival, according to Bregman, is not a product of our selfish gene but came out of cooperation and kindness — at least towards one another.

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However, the affinity toward in-group members is exactly what makes humans "the cruelest animal on the planet", to borrow the words of a puppy expert, Brian Hare, whose works are largely cited in the book. In explaining atrocities and violence committed by humankind, Bregman looks to the system, power and the sheer fact that humans are social creatures that follow authority and one another.

Take the German troops during World War II for instance. The soldiers, among the highest performers during the war, were motivated not by ideology but by the esprit de corps that was deliberately fostered by the higher ranks in the military.

Besides the elaboration on the thesis of kindness, Humankind also explores how our cynical view of humanity might be detrimental to society and how we can improve the system with this new realism approach, which can be applied in many fields, from education, management and law enforcement to counter-terrorism and politics.

Bregman tells the story of a high-security prison in Norway, with its humane and loose treatment of prisoners, on the basis that they will be someone's neighbor when they are released — hence the need to treat them as a fellow human being rather than criminals.

There is also the model of a more participatory democracy, in which citizens are trusted to contribute in governance, with participatory budgeting — already in place in hundreds of cities and municipalities across the globe — and citizen assembly, which can produce a higher quality of debate than that of career politicians.

Humankind is divided into several sections and short chapters, resulting in an easy and enjoyable reading experience despite its 496 pages. With the amount of research and cases cited in the book, Bregman provides a strong case for humanity.

In the epilogue, Bregman explains his 10 rules to live by, starting with the first commandment: "When in doubt, assume the best."

Accept the fact that you'll be proven wrong occasionally, said Bregman, but "that's a small price to pay for the luxury of a lifetime of trusting other people".

It is hard not to be hopeful while reading Humankind. While this might come across as a naive and utopian view of the world, it is precisely that response that becomes the target of the book. Perhaps, it is okay to be trusting and hopeful, and if a critical mass of people believes in this utopian view, it will become real. (kes)

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