"The choice we have is not between reasonable proposals and an
unreasonable utopianism. Utopian thinking does not undermine or
discount real reforms. Indeed, it is almost the opposite: practical
reforms depend on utopian dreaming."--Russell Jacoby, "Picture
Imperfect"
Utopianism suffers from an image problem: A recent exhibition on
utopias in Paris and New York included photographs of Hitler's
"Mein Kampf" and a Nazi concentration camp. Many observers judge
utopians and their sympathizers as foolhardy dreamers at best and
murderous totalitarians at worst. However, as noted social critic
and historian Russell Jacoby argues in this salient, polemical, and
innovative work, not only has utopianism been unfairly
characterized, a return to an iconoclastic utopian spirit is vital
for today's society. Shaped by the works of Theodor Adorno, Walter
Benjamin, Ernst Bloch, Gustav Landauer, and other predominantly
Jewish thinkers, iconoclastic utopianism revives society's dormant
political imagination and offers hope for a better future. Writing
against the grain of history, Jacoby reexamines the anti-utopian
mindset and identifies how utopian thought came to be regarded with
such suspicion. He challenges standard readings of such
anti-utopian classics as "1984" and "Brave New World" and offers
stinging critiques of the influential liberal and anti-utopian
theorists Hannah Arendt, Isaiah Berlin, and Karl Popper. He argues
that these thinkers mistakenly equate utopianism with
totalitarianism.
The reputation of utopian thought has also suffered from the
failures of, what Jacoby terms, the blueprint utopian tradition and
its oppressive emphasis on detailing all aspects of society and
providing fantastic images of the future. In contrast, the
iconoclastic utopians, like those who follow God's prohibition
against graven images, resist both the blueprinters' obsession with
detail and the modern seduction of images. Jacoby suggests that by
learning from the hopeful spirit of iconoclastic utopians and their
willingness to accept new possibilities for society, we open
ourselves to new and more imaginative ideas of the future.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!