His contention is that in many ways, the world we live in now embodies that idea of the ‘land of plenty’. Considering how basic needs, survival and safety were the major concerns through the past, utopian thinking during those times evoked the ‘land of plenty’ – an escape from earthly suffering. Bregman takes a longview of human history and outlines how ‘where 84% of the world’s population still lived in extreme poverty in 1820, by 1981 that percentage had dropped to 44%, and now, just a few decade later, it is under 10%’.
Utopia for Realists opens with exploring the need for utopian thinking, of dreaming. His TED Talk, “Poverty Isn’t a Lack of Character It’s a Lack of Cash”, was chosen by TED curator Chris Anderson as one of the top ten of 2017. He has been described by The Guardian as the “Dutch wunderkind of new ideas” and by TED Talks as “one of Europe’s most prominent young thinkers”. His work has been featured in The Washington Post, The Guardian and the BBC.
He has published four books on history, philosophy, and economics, including Utopia for Realists: How We Can Build the Ideal World, which has been translated into thirty-two languages. Bregman is a Dutch popular historian and author.
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