DWARSe Book Review: Most People Lie

13 May, DWARS Groningen had an online book review. There was a vote beforehand on which book we would read together. It became Most People Virtue, written by Rutger Bregman. The Frequent Activities Committee had prepared a list of statements that were discussed in small groups in two rounds.

Rutger Bregman
Rutger Bregman previously wrote Free Money For Everyone, the book that made him famous. He studied history and writes mainly from a historical perspective, but he combines the story with rock-solid numbers. This is important if you want to release a new idea; numbers convince a technocrat, but a story convinces a human being.

The book looks thick and deals with quite complicated topics. Yet the book is not difficult to read. Bregman writes for ordinary people who are not perusing academic works and makes sure that everyone can understand what he is talking about.

The prophecy: most people fail
Most People Lie is Rutger Bregman's latest book. With his book, he tries to break through one of the most dominant conceptions in the history of civilisation, namely the idea that humans are fundamentally selfish.

It used to be almost always thought that humans needed authority to ensure that people did not turn into savage, ape-like barbarians. This idea is still entrenched in the world and repeats itself so often that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Better known as a selffulfilling prophecy. Bregman's book attempts to refute this idea. His thesis: most people are virtuous

A self-fulfilling prediction occurs when a prediction is so believable that the it is the cause of what is being predicted.

A current example is the hoarding of toilet paper at the beginning of the lockdown. The idea that a lot of toilet paper would be sold caused people to buy a lot of toilet paper. The panic over the idea that toilet paper would sell out ensured that toilet paper sold out.

The rebuttal
Bregman starts with an evolutionary perspective: man's virtue is as fundamental to us as our super-flexible thumbs. He then punctures historical examples that would prove humans are not virtuous, such as the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment. Alongside this, Bregman gives numerous examples from history that support the claim that most humans are virtuous. These stories are worth reading in their own right.

That most people are virtuous does not sound like something very revolutionary at first glance. Still, the idea would cast great doubt on the usefulness of patronising government and other forms of authority in society. The book discusses examples of how the prison and education system can be changed on the basis of harnessing the good in people rather than suppressing the ’bad’.

The discussion
During the online book club, several DWARSers who had read the book got together. It was concluded that the book reads immensely well and that you can go through it at a pace without difficulty. It was nice to hear how others experienced the book and what others found interesting parts in the book. In addition, it is particularly fascinating when people relate other works or their own studies to what is in the book. There was also room for criticism of the book.

The writer does a lot of cherry-picking, cherry-picking, meaning he cited only the examples that stood out for his thesis. He was also more concerned with debunking counter-arguments, rather than substantiating his own. In addition, it lacks a solid conclusion.

Whether you agree with the writer or not, Bregman shows in Most People Lie see beautiful, hidden stories from history. Especially now that we have locked the world, this is the book to read. Volunteer initiatives are sprouting up like mushrooms in this one-half-mile society. The book shows that what we do is actually quite normal to do as human beings.

His other works are also recommended; such as Free Money For Everyone and Why rubbish collectors earn more than bankers (which Rutger Bregman wrote with Jesse Frederik).

Reading books is a good way to understand the world better. Hopefully more book reviews will follow from DWARS Groningen. Even if you did not attend the book review now, you are then welcome to join in.

By Floris Drent