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. 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 is joined by Professor Ben Newell in the third of a three-part series of conversations to provide a 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.

Ben Newell is a Professor of Cognitive Psychology and Deputy Head of the School of Psychology at UNSW. His research focusses on the cognitive processes underlying judgment, choice and decision making, and the application of this knowledge to environmental, medical, financial, and forensic contexts. He is the Academic Lead on the Grand Challenge on Thriving in the Anthropocene.

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. 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 is joined by Professor Ben Newell in the third of a three-part series of conversations to provide a 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. Ben Newell is a Professor of Cognitive Psychology and Deputy Head of the School of Psychology at UNSW. His research focusses on the cognitive processes underlying judgment, choice and decision making, and the application of this knowledge to environmental, medical, financial, and forensic contexts. He is the Academic Lead on the Grand Challenge on Thriving in the Anthropocene.

An initiative of UNSW Sydney, the Centre for Ideas is a thought-provoking program of events and digital content from the globe's leading thinkers, authors and artists.

An initiative of UNSW Sydney, the Centre for Ideas is a thought-provoking program of events and digital content from the globe's leading thinkers, authors and artists.

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