We live in a world of accelerating change brought on by exponential technologies. This has meant disruption to all aspects of human endeavour: from politics and economics, to family values and job security. The merchants of despair and peddlers of pessimism have been having a field day decrying the current state of affairs. However, things are not as bad as they seem. In fact, things are better than they have ever been. Rutger Bregman’s book, Utopia for Realists follows in the recent trend of optimistic books, such as Better Angels of our Nature by Steven Pinker, and The Moral Arc by Michael Shermer, that seek to offer a counter-narrative to the doom and gloom of mainstream media.
Armed with graphs, data, evidence, statistics, case studies, and historical anecdotes, Rutger makes the case that the world is actually getting better and not worse, and that in comparison to medieval times, in many parts of the world today we already live in a Utopia. We are living longer, healthier, wealthier, safer lives than at any point in the history of our species. We’ve also made massive strides on all fronts of the rights revolution. This is not a matter of one man’s personal opinion. These are data-driven facts. And Rutger presents his ideas in a lively, engaging, persuasive, and eminently readable way.
Utopia for Realists also tackles one of the biggest challenges of the century: leisure. We already live in a world of automation and outsourcing. Soon A.I. and super A.I. will take over an ever-increasing number of jobs. The twin questions of what to do with the burgeoning unemployed and with our increasing spare time don’t have easy answers. Rutger makes a compelling case for an overhaul of our economic systems and presents Universal Basic Income as an idea whose time has come.
At its core, this is a book about new ideas. Bergman reminds us that “People are the motors of history and ideas the motors of people. Without all those wide-eyed dreamers down through the ages we would all still be poor, hungry, dirty, afraid, stupid, sick, and ugly. Without Utopia we are lost.”
The enigmatic director of the Imaginary Foundation reminds us that to imagine is to perceive many potential futures, select the most delightful possibility, and then pull the present forward to meet it.
What Rutger does in Utopia for Realists is just that: he reminds us that the foundations of our current civilisations were laid long ago by dreamers marching to their own drumbeat. This book is an exhilarating blueprint for a re-think of ourselves and our future. In a time of increasing radicalisation, polarisation and nationalism, this book is a beacon of light and hope for our species.
