Recommended by Dana Ackley, Ph.D.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Thomas Hobbs had a debate, a debate that has echoed through all of history: Are humans basically evil or basically good? One’s belief about the answer will guide many decisions. As professionals who try to bring the best out in people, it behooves us to look for what’s good about people. But today’s headlines could easily lead us to believe that people are basically “no damn good.”

Bregman begs to differ, and he does so with data and impactful stories. He shares such stories as:

• The real Lord of the Flies – it really happened. A group of young boys were shipwrecked for years on a deserted island.  Those kids did not become savages. They became increasingly human.
• A prison in Norway where prisoners are treated as if they were actual human beings. The recidivism rate is very low, and guards do not become savages.
• Many soldiers don’t actually shoot their guns at people they can see. It turns out that it is hard for us to bring ourselves to kill someone, even an enemy in war.

I was quite annoyed with Bregman because, while Dutch, he writes in English better than I do. Fortunately for me, I then learned he had a translator. But the point here is that this book is delightfully readable.

If you could use a dose of hope in these challenging times, try reading Humankind.