Rutger Bregman

You know, as I was going on a book tour, making this argument that humans have evolved to work together and that we are the product of survival of the friendliest, what really struck me is that I got most pushback from journalists And I think it's logical. I mean, journalists spend most of their careers, their days, writing about what goes wrong, right?

You know, as I was going on a book tour, making this argument that humans have evolved to work together and that we are the product of survival of the friendliest, what really struck me is that I got most pushback from journalists And I think it's logical. I mean, journalists spend most of their careers, their days, writing about what goes wrong, right?

So people who actually are more tuned into the news, who are addicted to the news, they're often much more cynical. And I got most praise, actually. I received a lot of emails from hitchhikers. There's this one, I forgot his name, this guy who is the professional hitchhiker. He's been really going everywhere. And he's like, yeah, that's my experience. You can go everywhere.

So people who actually are more tuned into the news, who are addicted to the news, they're often much more cynical. And I got most praise, actually. I received a lot of emails from hitchhikers. There's this one, I forgot his name, this guy who is the professional hitchhiker. He's been really going everywhere. And he's like, yeah, that's my experience. You can go everywhere.

You can go every country. And people are basically friendly to strangers pretty much everywhere. And I was like, well, that is lived experience, right? That is very different from the journalist mindset where you continuously are on the lookout for newsworthy things. It's a problem with the goodness, right? As Trevor said, it's the water we swim in.

You can go every country. And people are basically friendly to strangers pretty much everywhere. And I was like, well, that is lived experience, right? That is very different from the journalist mindset where you continuously are on the lookout for newsworthy things. It's a problem with the goodness, right? As Trevor said, it's the water we swim in.

It's very easy to miss because you're just used to it. And by the way, one final thing. I had a pretty different experience actually moving to New York. Yeah. I mean, I like my neighbors in the Netherlands, but in the Netherlands, right, our social circle is much more closed off. But I, you know, I moved here to Brooklyn and everyone's so friendly. Everyone's so kind.

It's very easy to miss because you're just used to it. And by the way, one final thing. I had a pretty different experience actually moving to New York. Yeah. I mean, I like my neighbors in the Netherlands, but in the Netherlands, right, our social circle is much more closed off. But I, you know, I moved here to Brooklyn and everyone's so friendly. Everyone's so kind.

Everyone's like, no, welcoming to the neighborhood. Like my neighbor literally said, yeah, you can have sleepovers. You invite people, you know, in my apartment. It's all fine. So I don't know. Maybe that's just Brooklyn. But my experience was pretty different.

Everyone's like, no, welcoming to the neighborhood. Like my neighbor literally said, yeah, you can have sleepovers. You invite people, you know, in my apartment. It's all fine. So I don't know. Maybe that's just Brooklyn. But my experience was pretty different.

Be a man, be heterosexual. It works incredibly well. So yeah, you're absolutely right. And part of me wonders this as well. As I think about this book I wrote, Humankind, is it just one big expression of privilege? Is it a telling fact that I wrote that book?

Be a man, be heterosexual. It works incredibly well. So yeah, you're absolutely right. And part of me wonders this as well. As I think about this book I wrote, Humankind, is it just one big expression of privilege? Is it a telling fact that I wrote that book?

Mm-hmm. Absolutely. Yeah, I agree with all of that.

Mm-hmm. Absolutely. Yeah, I agree with all of that.

Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah, absolutely.

My favorite story in the book is about this moment in 1965 when six boys shipwrecked on an island near Tonga. I had asked myself the question if there had ever been a real Lord of the Flies. And it turns out there was. Six boys were at this boarding school in Nuku'alofa, the capital of Tonga. They were really frustrated. They thought school was boring. And they were like, let's go on an adventure.

My favorite story in the book is about this moment in 1965 when six boys shipwrecked on an island near Tonga. I had asked myself the question if there had ever been a real Lord of the Flies. And it turns out there was. Six boys were at this boarding school in Nuku'alofa, the capital of Tonga. They were really frustrated. They thought school was boring. And they were like, let's go on an adventure.

And they borrowed a boat from a local fisherman and then ended up in a storm on the very first night. They drifted for eight days, incredibly hungry, incredibly thirsty, but miraculously survived and then washed up on this island that was totally forgotten, uninhabited. And they survived there for 15 months.

And they borrowed a boat from a local fisherman and then ended up in a storm on the very first night. They drifted for eight days, incredibly hungry, incredibly thirsty, but miraculously survived and then washed up on this island that was totally forgotten, uninhabited. And they survived there for 15 months.