Simply Human: A Guide to Understanding and Combating Hate

In Simply Human, leading global hate studies experts join forces, guiding us to a better understanding of human hatred, what works to confront it, what doesn’t, and why. Edited by Kenneth Stern, a founder of the field of Hate Studies and the director of the Bard Center for the Study of Hate, this book will change the way you think about how hate affects our lives and our politics. It’s “simply human” that we are too often pulled into the seductive comfort of “us versus them” thinking. But that doesn’t mean we can’t do better as individuals and societies. Simply Human will challenge readers look to at the world in a new light, take action against hate, and put meaning behind their words.
This easy-to-read volume, co-created by experts in brain science, political science, social psychology, and philosophy, includes a checklist of key takeaways from each contributor that can be used as an educational tool in classrooms, workplaces, and beyond. Hate is too corrosive for our societies, and costs too much, both morally and economically, for us to continue shooting in the dark. This book provides enlightening perspectives on our relationships to hatred and can be considered a blueprint for sharper thinking and more effective action.