Imagining the Possible: Radical Politics for Conservative Times

Imagining the possible is not as simple as it might seem. Imagination is usually associated with a fanciful utopia, leaving the possible to those who learn to accept and compromise.Imagining the Possiblequestions whether the radical vision and the quest for incremental change truly preclude one another. These essays highlight the shifting intersection between utopian goals and immediate demands, the realm of freedom and the constraints of necessity, where we would like to go and where we are now. Bronner takes on the existential importance of ideals like socialism, democracy, and internationalism, attempting to reinvigorate them by refusing to identify them with any particular institutional arrangement. He argues that individuals in general and intellectuals in particular can make a difference, and explores the work of those he considers his allies: Luxembourg, Camus, Horkheimer and Adorno, and Ulrich Beck, among others. A call to action, and a call to reflection,Imagining the Possibleaimsto revitalize progressive thought and action in a conservative world.

Stephen Eric Bronner is Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University