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A Brief History of the Future - HUMAN: Hope for a Brighter Future!

Episode 4 - HUMAN: Part of a six-part series, in this episode Ari explores the human ability to increase empathy and compassion, what values we are instilling into artificial intelligence technologies, and the need to create both a better world and a better humanity for life to survive and flourish on this planet

Other Parts in the Series (each part is about 53 minutes):

Episode 1 - Beyond the Now: The series begins by joining Ari as he sets out on a journey to widen our perspective on where we find ourselves in the human story today and in the tomorrows that follow. He meets the individuals showcasing the long-term thinking and decisions that will benefit future generations as we work to become the great ancestors the future needs us to be.

Episode 2 - Chaos & Complexity: How do we make sense of today’s exponential rate of change and disruption? In episode two, Ari explores the historically transformational moment we are currently living in, why it is causing so many of us to feel overwhelmed and afraid, and how it actually offers unprecedented possibilities for new and exciting futures we can create together.

Episode 3 - Once Upon a Time: How do the stories we tell shape the boundaries of our beliefs about what is possible? From the dawn of time, stories are how humans have made sense of the world. Episode three emphasizes the fundamental role stories play in our lives, our inclination towards dystopian narratives, and the potential for bigger, better stories to unleash the power of human imagination and creativity moving forward.

Episode 5 - Together: How can we create futures that serve the needs of all people? Humans are inherently social and, throughout history, what has set us apart time and time again is our unique capacity for cooperation. Episode five explores our capacity to cooperate, the effects of modern individualism, and how new global collaboration will be vital in a future that depends on our ability to come together.

Episode 6 - Tomorrows: Examining the ways we often see the future as a rigid and singular concept rather than the multiple possible futures before us, the crucial need to think much, much bigger about what could come next, and how we all have more personal agency than we realize.

Get books/eBooks, videos and article suggestions on related topics in our library Sociology, Psychology, Ethics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) library guides.

Need a Pick-Me-Up? Read Humankind: A Hopeful History

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

The “lively” (The New Yorker), “convincing” (Forbes), and “riveting pick-me-up we all need right now” (People) that proves humanity thrives in a crisis and that our innate kindness and cooperation have been the greatest factors in our long-term success as a species.

If there is one belief that has united the left and the right, psychologists and philosophers, ancient thinkers and modern ones, it is the tacit assumption that humans are bad. It's a notion that drives newspaper headlines and guides the laws that shape our lives. From Machiavelli to Hobbes, Freud to Pinker, the roots of this belief have sunk deep into Western thought. Human beings, we're taught, are by nature selfish and governed primarily by self-interest.

But what if it isn't true? International bestseller Rutger Bregman provides new perspective on the past 200,000 years of human history, setting out to prove that we are hardwired for kindness, geared toward cooperation rather than competition, and more inclined to trust rather than distrust one another. In fact this instinct has a firm evolutionary basis going back to the beginning of Homo sapiens. 

From the real-life Lord of the Flies to the solidarity in the aftermath of the Blitz, the hidden flaws in the Stanford prison experiment to the true story of twin brothers on opposite sides who helped Mandela end apartheid, Bregman shows us that believing in human generosity and collaboration isn't merely optimistic—it's realistic. Moreover, it has huge implications for how society functions. When we think the worst of people, it brings out the worst in our politics and economics. But if we believe in the reality of humanity's kindness and altruism, it will form the foundation for achieving true change in society, a case that Bregman makes convincingly with his signature wit, refreshing frankness, and memorable storytelling.

Check it out from COM library today.  Interested in more book and media collections available at the library?  Check out the newest additions to our NYT Bestsellers, Leisure Book, Graphic Novels, Academic Books and DVD collections.