Book Review - Utopia For Realists (And how we get there) - Rutger Bregman

Universal income

‘Utopia for realists’ was a real eye opener for me. Rutger Bregman does a brilliant job of taking what may seem to some as radical ideas - a universal basic income for all, a fifteen hour week and a world without borders - and presenting his arguments lucidly, with evidence to back them up. Take the Universal basic income for example - instead of putting people through the welfare system, with its endless bureaucracy and loops for people to jump through, imagine if people had money given to them, to do with as they wish - people wouldn't have to endlessly worry about poverty and could devote themselves to bettering themselves, doing the job they wanted to, but contributing to society, and not trapped in the poverty cycle and the prison system, Of course there will be pitfalls - but the evidence presented by the author points to a fairer, productive society, for the betterment of all. Basically, governments could bring an end to poverty if they wanted to, for less than the cost of what some spend on arming themselves.

Wealth

Of course there will be naysayers about the arguments and evidence in ‘utopia for realists’ - Half of the worlds wealth is in the hands of 1% of the population, so they aren't going to give that up lightly, and will fight the equitable distribution of prosperity whichever way they can - but there is hope here. Rutger Bregman lays out how this could be achieved.

Summary

The economic climate is particularly depressing at present, with constant cutbacks due to the ‘cost of living’ crisis. Books like this give me cause for hope, because you have to. I think if there’s enough of a groundswell opinion for change, things can change. I’m sure people were once told there’d be no such thing as a five day week, holiday or maternity pay.

I found it particularly interesting to read ‘Utopia for realists’ in lockdown, when many of us have had time to think about the work/life balance and how disposable we have become to employers. I could quote plenty of stats and research from this book but you'd be safer reading the arguments for yourself. You'll be all the better informed for it.

Book review - Utopia for realists by Rutger Bregman

262 pages,

March 14, 2017 by Little, Brown and Company