Tomorrow's Child: Imagination, Creativity, and the Rebirth of Culture

by Rubem Alves

All theories of social change, says Alves, rest squarely on the economic and structural forces operative in society at any given moment in history. Thus many of the proposals offered by today's futurologists fall considerably short of social revolution. They are, in effect, extrapolations from the functional matrix of our society. Like the dinosaurs who "disappeared not because they were too weak but because they were too strong," our civilization is motivated less by the desire for internal growth and existential relevance than it is by blind outward expansion. We are determined by a triangle of interlocking systems, each deriving and giving life to the the power of the sword, the power of money, and the power of science. In this context, to be a realist is to accept the rules of the game, laid down by the power lords of our "rational" society, whose goals are war, production, and consumption. But the utopian mentality, argues Alves, wants to create a qualitatively new order in which economy must abandon the goal of infinite growth. The only way out, then, is to abort "realism" from the body politic and impregnate it with the power of the imagination. This book clears away the debris of realism and lays the groundwork for a constructive theory of creative imagination, moving us toward new forms of social organization where the community of faith can be found.

Genres: Philosophy

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Rubem Alves é um psicanalista, educador, teólogo e escritor brasileiro, é autor de livros e artigos abordando temas religiosos, educacionais e existenciais, além de uma série de livros infantis.
Durante sua infância, enfrentou os problemas comuns ocasionados pelas freqüentes mudanças de estados e de escolas. Tais mudanças influenciaram sua atitude de introspecção que o levou à companhia dos livros e ao apoio da religião, base de sua educação.
Presbiteriano, tornou-se pastor. Teve três filhos, e entrou numa crise de fé decorrente de um problema de saúde na família, tendo assim de abandonar o pastorado. Apóstata do cristianismo, tornou-se crítico da religião organizada. É considerado persona non grata na Igreja Presbiteriana, pelas suas posições liberais e anticlericais. De volta ao mundo secular, tornou-se escritor e acadêmico.

Reviews

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m still processing this one and boy is it heady. This is a book that tackles society, organization, structure, imagination, play, and hope from a very theological/philosophical lens. I think what it offers are important lessons for everyone, however they are conveyed in a way that is extremely inaccessible and steeped in academic language. I understand Alves’s points, but I find it frustrating that the people he is largely writing for/about would not be able to easily access that same knowledge. The work encourages us to move beyond our reliance/worship of structure/organization and work outside of the organization to change it though play and creativity and meaningful action that is based in our knowledge/experience of suffering.

[JD Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little known outside of certain theological circles in Brazil, Alves is one of those uniquely thoughtful, critical, and original thinkers. His analysis of what plagues our modern society is incisive and his voice is one to listen to.