It's a belief that unites the left and right, psychologists and philosophers, writers and historians. It drives the headlines that surround us and the laws that touch our lives. Human beings, we're taught, are by nature selfish and governed by self-interest.Humankind makes a new argument: that it is realistic, as well as revolutionary, to assume that people are good. In this major book, Rutger Bregman shows how believing in human kindness and altruism can be a new way to think - and act as the foundation for achieving true change in our society.