Humankind

This narration explores Rutger Bregman’s gentle but challenging idea: the good side of human nature is often underestimated. While headlines and history can make it easy to expect the worst, time and time again people have shown up for each other—during disasters, in communities under pressure, and in everyday moments that never make the news.

Across these chapters, the focus moves from real-world catastrophes and community behavior to the psychology of power, group loyalty, and the situations that can push ordinary people toward harmful choices. The journey ends with a practical invitation: to build a future that assumes more goodness, strengthens trust, and helps the next generation grow with openness and creativity.

• Listeners who feel worn down by negativity and want a more balanced, evidence-based view of human nature.
• Anyone interested in psychology, social behavior, and why people act differently under stress, authority, or belonging.
• People who want gentle, practical encouragement to lead with trust—without becoming naive.

Rutger Bregman is a Dutch writer and thinker known for exploring big social questions—about human behavior, society, and what becomes possible when we design our systems around trust rather than fear. His work often draws on history and social science to challenge common assumptions.