Contributor(s): Rutger Bregman | It's a belief that unites the left and right, psychologists and philosophers, writers and historians. It drives the headlines and the laws that touch our lives. Human beings, we're taught, are by nature selfish and governed by self-interest. In his new book, which he will talk about at this event, Rutger Bregman shows us that it is realistic, as well as revolutionary, to assume that people are good. By thinking the worst of others, we bring out the worst in our politics and economics too.

Rutger Bregman (@rcbregman) is a historian and author. He has published five books on history, philosophy, and economics. His book Utopia for Realists was a New York Times bestseller and has been translated in 32 languages. Bregman has twice been nominated for the prestigious European Press Prize for his work at The Correspondent. His new book is Humankind: A Hopeful History.

Dr. Poornima Paidipaty is an LSE Fellow in Inequalities.  She received her Ph.D. in Anthropology from Columbia University.  Her work examines the intersections of decolonisation, governance and modern social science.  She helped lead and organize the Measures of Inequality project at Cambridge University, which explores how metrics and statistical frameworks have been central to our historical and political understanding of equality and fairness. Prior to the LSE, Dr. Paidipaty was the Philomathia Fellow in History at Cambridge and a member of the Society of Fellows at the University of Chicago.

You can order the book, Humankind: A Hopeful History, (UK delivery only) from our official LSE Events independent book shop, Pages of Hackney.

The International Inequalities Institute (@LSEInequalities) at LSE brings together experts from many LSE departments and centres to lead cutting-edge research focused on understanding why inequalities are escalating in numerous arenas across the world, and to develop critical tools to address these challenges.

The Department of Sociology (@LSEsociology) seek to produce sociology that is public-facing, fully engaged with London as a global city, and with major contemporary debates in the intersection between economy, politics and society – with issues such as financialisation, inequality, migration, urban ecology, and climate change.

Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSEHumankind

Podcasts and Videos

A video of this event is available to watch at Humankind: a hopeful history.

Podcasts and videos of many LSE events can be found at the LSE Public Lectures and Events: podcasts and videos channel.