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The Future We Want: Radical Ideas for the New Century
A stirring blueprint for American equality, from the "breakout stars" (The New York Times) of the young new left
Democrat, Republican -- the list of presidential candidates confirms that business is proceeding pretty much as usual. The Future We Want proposes something different. In a sharp, rousing collective manifesto, ten young cultural and political critics dismantle the usual liberal solutions to America's ills and propose a pragmatic alternative.
What would finance look like without Wall Street? Or the workplace with responsibility shared by the entire workforce? From a campaign to limit work hours, to a program for full employment, to proposals for a new feminism, The Future We Want has the courage to think of alternatives that are both utopian and possible.
Brilliantly clear and provocative, The Future We Want -- edited by Jacobin magazine founder Bhaskar Sunkara and the Nation's Sarah Leonard -- harnesses the energy and creativity of an angry generation and announces the arrival of a new political left that not only protests but plans.
Democrat, Republican -- the list of presidential candidates confirms that business is proceeding pretty much as usual. The Future We Want proposes something different. In a sharp, rousing collective manifesto, ten young cultural and political critics dismantle the usual liberal solutions to America's ills and propose a pragmatic alternative.
What would finance look like without Wall Street? Or the workplace with responsibility shared by the entire workforce? From a campaign to limit work hours, to a program for full employment, to proposals for a new feminism, The Future We Want has the courage to think of alternatives that are both utopian and possible.
Brilliantly clear and provocative, The Future We Want -- edited by Jacobin magazine founder Bhaskar Sunkara and the Nation's Sarah Leonard -- harnesses the energy and creativity of an angry generation and announces the arrival of a new political left that not only protests but plans.
208 pages, Paperback
First published October 8, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
December 23, 2015
Born out of massive political discontent and the Occupy movement, the collection of ten essays in this timely book each characterizes an important social problem before suggesting a solution. In each case the suggested solution is a bold shift toward socialism. Not your father’s failed soviet-style socialism, but a more enlightened form that learns from the earlier failures of a poorly-conceived ideology, the failure of today’s oligarchy disguised as democracy, the inequities of capitalism gone wild, and experiences of some of the most socially successful countries in the world.
You may not yet feel ready for this book. The editors and many of the contributors write for the Jacobian magazine, a political quarterly self-described as “a leading voice of the American left”. The authors dismiss the choices provided by the major political parties as trivial adjustments of the status quo and choose instead a range of bold—some may say radical—approaches. If the tone seems a bit angry at times, perhaps you are hearing the voices of oppression.
Each chapter addresses a theme, characterized by these summaries and quotations:
+ Advocating for a living wage and shorter work hours: “So long as there is one man who seeks employment and cannot obtain it, the hours of labor are too long”.
+ Imagining a more effective and equitable education system: “…education will be life and life will be education.”
+ To make black lives really matter, we need to recognize that: “The large-scale relegation of black Americans to poverty is the essential ‘race’ problem.”
+ Women are trapped in an underclass because: “they are required to engage in both production and reproduction.” Therefore … the first step toward woman’s freedom must be universal, twenty-four-hour child care.
+ Environmental protection and sustainability can be achieved through various forms of tax-and-dividend approaches: “divorcing individual consumption from production is looking more and more like the only way to live decently in the face of resource constraints.”
+ Noting that “Apple’s tremendously successful lines of products…incorporate twelve key innovations…developed by publically funded research and development projects” a chapter argues for more public sharing in the fruits of innovation.
+ The cure for bad science “…involves reaffirming financial support for those agencies that already fund basic research.”
+ Finding the future of criminal justice requires: the hard work that could make “abolition of the police” possible.
+ Recognizing gay marriage is a start, but because “trans people are twice as likely as cisgender Americans to live in extreme poverty” we are far from achieving social equality.
+ Various ideas for restructuring ownership and control of firms seek to: “…sketch a rational economic mechanism that denies the pursuit of profit priority over the fulfillment of human needs.”
This book is as likely to alienate and enrage capitalists as it is to inspire, inform, and energize thoughtful people who have been excluded from our present economic, social, and political systems. The authors are neither crackpots nor traitors, far from it; they are clear thinking citizens concerned for the future of America. The authors have given careful thought to understanding the deep roots of the many problems we face and suggest bold and creative solutions.
This is a well-written, well-argued book addressing many of the most important problems Americans face today. The solutions offered are preliminary at best; each is better suited to initiating thoughtful dialogue than as templates for quick fixes. This book gives Americans much to consider as we continue our wise transformation from a tribal mindset toward a global perspective.
You may not yet feel ready for this book. The editors and many of the contributors write for the Jacobian magazine, a political quarterly self-described as “a leading voice of the American left”. The authors dismiss the choices provided by the major political parties as trivial adjustments of the status quo and choose instead a range of bold—some may say radical—approaches. If the tone seems a bit angry at times, perhaps you are hearing the voices of oppression.
Each chapter addresses a theme, characterized by these summaries and quotations:
+ Advocating for a living wage and shorter work hours: “So long as there is one man who seeks employment and cannot obtain it, the hours of labor are too long”.
+ Imagining a more effective and equitable education system: “…education will be life and life will be education.”
+ To make black lives really matter, we need to recognize that: “The large-scale relegation of black Americans to poverty is the essential ‘race’ problem.”
+ Women are trapped in an underclass because: “they are required to engage in both production and reproduction.” Therefore … the first step toward woman’s freedom must be universal, twenty-four-hour child care.
+ Environmental protection and sustainability can be achieved through various forms of tax-and-dividend approaches: “divorcing individual consumption from production is looking more and more like the only way to live decently in the face of resource constraints.”
+ Noting that “Apple’s tremendously successful lines of products…incorporate twelve key innovations…developed by publically funded research and development projects” a chapter argues for more public sharing in the fruits of innovation.
+ The cure for bad science “…involves reaffirming financial support for those agencies that already fund basic research.”
+ Finding the future of criminal justice requires: the hard work that could make “abolition of the police” possible.
+ Recognizing gay marriage is a start, but because “trans people are twice as likely as cisgender Americans to live in extreme poverty” we are far from achieving social equality.
+ Various ideas for restructuring ownership and control of firms seek to: “…sketch a rational economic mechanism that denies the pursuit of profit priority over the fulfillment of human needs.”
This book is as likely to alienate and enrage capitalists as it is to inspire, inform, and energize thoughtful people who have been excluded from our present economic, social, and political systems. The authors are neither crackpots nor traitors, far from it; they are clear thinking citizens concerned for the future of America. The authors have given careful thought to understanding the deep roots of the many problems we face and suggest bold and creative solutions.
This is a well-written, well-argued book addressing many of the most important problems Americans face today. The solutions offered are preliminary at best; each is better suited to initiating thoughtful dialogue than as templates for quick fixes. This book gives Americans much to consider as we continue our wise transformation from a tribal mindset toward a global perspective.
February 2, 2016
Overall I would rate this 4 stars out of 5. This is a brilliant book to read. At first I was skeptical and hesitant to read it, but I am very glad I did. I feel that in reading a political book, it is very black and white. Either it was excellent or horrible, and there is no in between. You are either going to agree with it or not. And when you disagree with political beliefs it is not a very pleasant experience. You get angry and frustrated and many other things. This is why I think it is better having an open and receptive mind when attempting to read this. If you go into this book with an open and receptive mind, I think you will enjoy it and be as intrigued as I did.
This book introduced a whole new way of political thought. It took on a new approach, different from the democratic or republican mindset. This book was very well organized, it is broken down to ten essays each tackling a different aspect of the political, economic, and social issues that we face today. Each essay attempts to break down the current system of why it does not work, the history behind each issue and finally proposes a new way of solving the issue. Often you hear from politicians how they promise to change the status quo. You hear promises of getting rid of unemployment, create more jobs, raise minimum wage, decrease our deficit and so forth. You hear all these promises and commitments but no one ever tells you how they are going to accomplish it, i.e. what is their plan? This book for the most part, not only committed to solving these same issues but discussed a plan how exactly it would be done and how to get from here to there. It goes deeper than that it explains why things are the way things are, the factors that led to where we are today. I was truly amazed and surprised that this book is not all entirely new set of ideas. That things like full employment by where everyone who wants to work can find work. Where the workweek is shortened to 30 hours but still retaining your 40 hour pay. With having enough money to sustain you and your family. A life where you have more benefits and at the same time, have more time off and more time to spend with your family or leisure activities. Take a moment to ponder this to sit back and imagine what life would be like? How your life would be different? Guess what! This plan was introduced to congress many years ago but sadly never made it into legislation. What if your life or the life of your children could be like this? This book will tell you how it is possible. I bet you are thinking this seems all too good to be true. I did to have that feeling several times while reading this book. With the plans that are presented in this book makes sense. And sometimes it makes too much sense in that you are left wondering why this or that hasn't occurred yet. You find yourself saying jeez this is not rocket science here. And because the ideas and plans presented in this book make sense and are understandable, it gives you that hope you need to be able to believe it, and ultimately not dismiss it as being too good to be true.
During some parts of the books, although it presented an intriguing idea and plan, I had a hard time envisioning the plans taking place in our society today. Such as there is a chapter in the book that discusses dismantling the police force so that crime, poverty, economies, racism to get better. I definitely think that MAJOR changes need to be done in police force, as well as the criminal justice system and incarceration rates. I agree fully with the information presented in this chapter. The way it is explained, how dismantling the police force would work, it makes perfect sense. I just don't see it happening. I can't envision how that exactly would work in today's current society. I can see it working in an ideal society. But sometimes we have to accept that things aren't going to be ideal. Part of it is, that I think there are too many unpredictable factors that could interfere with this and cause more damage than necessary. Believe me I am no political expert, so this is just my opinion. I guess what I find annoying here and is making me very frustrated, is that I agree with everything that is said in this essay, I understand it, it is common sense to me. I am frustrated because I have my doubts.
The authors took a lot of risk in writing this book, presenting a novel, intriguing, a different mindset that society is not familiar or maybe comfortable with. It talks about change and a lot of people are afraid of change. They took risk in writing this book because there are going to be people who don't agree and have different opinions. At the other side of the coin, in order to form an opinion you have to see both sides of the coin. I am glad the authors took this risk, I admire people who are not scared of taking risks. I enjoyed this book thoroughly, yes it was a little dry at times but it was so thought provoking that it made up for the dryness. I can't say enough about this book. It is refreshing. Usually you read political books where the tone and everything in it is so negative, hopeless and is a complete rant of bashing the people you disagree with. This book is different than that, it is different from a lot of any other books that you have read or will read. It is different because it leaves you feeling very hopeful and allows your imagination to wander the what if's in life.
I want to thank Netgalley, Henry Holt and Co. (the publisher) and the authors Sarah Leonard and Bhaskar Sunkara for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book introduced a whole new way of political thought. It took on a new approach, different from the democratic or republican mindset. This book was very well organized, it is broken down to ten essays each tackling a different aspect of the political, economic, and social issues that we face today. Each essay attempts to break down the current system of why it does not work, the history behind each issue and finally proposes a new way of solving the issue. Often you hear from politicians how they promise to change the status quo. You hear promises of getting rid of unemployment, create more jobs, raise minimum wage, decrease our deficit and so forth. You hear all these promises and commitments but no one ever tells you how they are going to accomplish it, i.e. what is their plan? This book for the most part, not only committed to solving these same issues but discussed a plan how exactly it would be done and how to get from here to there. It goes deeper than that it explains why things are the way things are, the factors that led to where we are today. I was truly amazed and surprised that this book is not all entirely new set of ideas. That things like full employment by where everyone who wants to work can find work. Where the workweek is shortened to 30 hours but still retaining your 40 hour pay. With having enough money to sustain you and your family. A life where you have more benefits and at the same time, have more time off and more time to spend with your family or leisure activities. Take a moment to ponder this to sit back and imagine what life would be like? How your life would be different? Guess what! This plan was introduced to congress many years ago but sadly never made it into legislation. What if your life or the life of your children could be like this? This book will tell you how it is possible. I bet you are thinking this seems all too good to be true. I did to have that feeling several times while reading this book. With the plans that are presented in this book makes sense. And sometimes it makes too much sense in that you are left wondering why this or that hasn't occurred yet. You find yourself saying jeez this is not rocket science here. And because the ideas and plans presented in this book make sense and are understandable, it gives you that hope you need to be able to believe it, and ultimately not dismiss it as being too good to be true.
During some parts of the books, although it presented an intriguing idea and plan, I had a hard time envisioning the plans taking place in our society today. Such as there is a chapter in the book that discusses dismantling the police force so that crime, poverty, economies, racism to get better. I definitely think that MAJOR changes need to be done in police force, as well as the criminal justice system and incarceration rates. I agree fully with the information presented in this chapter. The way it is explained, how dismantling the police force would work, it makes perfect sense. I just don't see it happening. I can't envision how that exactly would work in today's current society. I can see it working in an ideal society. But sometimes we have to accept that things aren't going to be ideal. Part of it is, that I think there are too many unpredictable factors that could interfere with this and cause more damage than necessary. Believe me I am no political expert, so this is just my opinion. I guess what I find annoying here and is making me very frustrated, is that I agree with everything that is said in this essay, I understand it, it is common sense to me. I am frustrated because I have my doubts.
The authors took a lot of risk in writing this book, presenting a novel, intriguing, a different mindset that society is not familiar or maybe comfortable with. It talks about change and a lot of people are afraid of change. They took risk in writing this book because there are going to be people who don't agree and have different opinions. At the other side of the coin, in order to form an opinion you have to see both sides of the coin. I am glad the authors took this risk, I admire people who are not scared of taking risks. I enjoyed this book thoroughly, yes it was a little dry at times but it was so thought provoking that it made up for the dryness. I can't say enough about this book. It is refreshing. Usually you read political books where the tone and everything in it is so negative, hopeless and is a complete rant of bashing the people you disagree with. This book is different than that, it is different from a lot of any other books that you have read or will read. It is different because it leaves you feeling very hopeful and allows your imagination to wander the what if's in life.
I want to thank Netgalley, Henry Holt and Co. (the publisher) and the authors Sarah Leonard and Bhaskar Sunkara for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
March 3, 2016
I think I have a legitimate question here.
If Sunkara is editing (with Leonard) a collection of essays about how we need to build socialism, how is this book different from a Jacobin issue? Is it that they didn’t get the art team out?
But seriously, this is a fine addition to the series of Sunkara-edited and contributed collections. It is a collection of several essays united by the common thread of the common, on how we make the world better for everyone. My main issue with it was that the essays were siloed – here’s women’s issues, here’s race issues, and the thread isn’t really pulled together until the final essay, a coda by Sunkara and Peter Frase. Not to say that this isn’t important – but I wanted to see a more organic whole.
What was interesting was the common thread between the siloed topics that might not have been intentional. Several of the authors argued for the necessity of a universal basic income. This seems to be the struggle of our time under the context of capitalism that may have some legs as the robots rise and the millennials who feel the Bern start coming into more power and the olds start dying off. The real question is if this is a reformist move, or will take us to the promised land of worker control of the means of production and the gradual withering away of the state, or if it is an end point that if accomplished will foreclose other discussions on reform.
Two important essays close the book before the coda. Tim Barker makes a clear argument against the too common celebration of the small business, which is important because it shows that the capitalistic system is the problem no matter how large the scale. I hadn’t thought of the subject much at all, and it nicely disturbed some preconceived notions of mine. Then the last essay is Seth Ackerman prodding on the idea that the socialist future is not the end, but a beginning, an important reminder that we are not reaching for the end of history on our terms, but instead a new beginning.
If Sunkara is editing (with Leonard) a collection of essays about how we need to build socialism, how is this book different from a Jacobin issue? Is it that they didn’t get the art team out?
But seriously, this is a fine addition to the series of Sunkara-edited and contributed collections. It is a collection of several essays united by the common thread of the common, on how we make the world better for everyone. My main issue with it was that the essays were siloed – here’s women’s issues, here’s race issues, and the thread isn’t really pulled together until the final essay, a coda by Sunkara and Peter Frase. Not to say that this isn’t important – but I wanted to see a more organic whole.
What was interesting was the common thread between the siloed topics that might not have been intentional. Several of the authors argued for the necessity of a universal basic income. This seems to be the struggle of our time under the context of capitalism that may have some legs as the robots rise and the millennials who feel the Bern start coming into more power and the olds start dying off. The real question is if this is a reformist move, or will take us to the promised land of worker control of the means of production and the gradual withering away of the state, or if it is an end point that if accomplished will foreclose other discussions on reform.
Two important essays close the book before the coda. Tim Barker makes a clear argument against the too common celebration of the small business, which is important because it shows that the capitalistic system is the problem no matter how large the scale. I hadn’t thought of the subject much at all, and it nicely disturbed some preconceived notions of mine. Then the last essay is Seth Ackerman prodding on the idea that the socialist future is not the end, but a beginning, an important reminder that we are not reaching for the end of history on our terms, but instead a new beginning.
February 26, 2016
I won this in a Goodreads giveaway so a big thank you to the authors and publisher of this book. The Future We Want is a collection of essays, most of which present ideas and plans to push our society toward a more egalitarian/socialist/anarchist state of being. I completely loved the vast majority of the essays; they brought up things I had never heard of or even imagined were possible (such as a guaranteed minimum income! If you're like me and didn't even know that was a thing, look it up, it's a really interesting and amazing idea!). Current and recent political movements like Black Lives Matter and Occupy are discussed and socialist economics is a theme that runs throughout. I really liked that almost all of the essays really buckled down and attacked their themes from a logical standpoint instead of just focusing on ideology, as I truly feel that having concrete plans will become more and more important in the coming years if we are ever truly going to attempt a shift into a post-capitalist society. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about this realm of political discourse, I think it's a really wonderful and timely addition to the literature that's already out there.
April 3, 2016
I think a lot of heavy, wonkish political literature is so hard to read because you find so many writers obfuscating their inability to outline either society's problems or to suggest possible solutions. What's that John Dolan line again about bad writers and squids using ink for the same purpose? So when I say that this book was quite readable, even a pleasure to read, I think I'm making more than an aesthetic comment.
This is the future I want.
This is the future I want.
January 6, 2017
thought-provoking - probably even something I'll go back to - but overall there's too much white dude socialism, which is not, actually, the future I want. so.
December 27, 2017
I consider myself a democratic socialist, so I was very interested to read this volume of essays curated by Leonard and Sunkara. Though it has been described as "provocative", to me, the ideas put forward to radically change society are not terribly foreign.
What was more infuriating was that many of the essayists fall into the usual leftist trope of using ten-dollar words and convoluted sentences, as though the objective of radical change isn't to animate large groups of people towards action but to achieve a Flesch readability score below 30. Such intellectual navel-gazing can only lead to the dismissal of some very good ideas by the people whom they would benefit most. To use a metaphor that the left despises, this "trickle-down intellectualism" smacks of the worst kind of elitism and patriarchial, father-knows-best planning that has plagued our political and economic systems in the past.
On occasion, the essayists not only exhibit a stylistic arrogance but stray directly into the usual hectoring, absolutist dialectic typical of the left that I so despise. The worst is the transcript of a panel discussion on policing, putatively "moderated" by one Mychal Denzel Smith, who states at the outset that he is not an impartial moderator but an advocate for the complete abolition of policing, because in his view, police have no purpose except to oppress black people. Really? Smith would rather have total anarchy and no law enforcement because he believes police serve no beneficial purpose? To her credit, panelist Ashley Yates -- hailing from none other than Florissant, MO -- pushes back on Smith, saying there are systemic problems with policing in America but not advocating for the destruction of the entire system. Thank God, because the "you're with us or you're against us" rhetoric is no better coming from so-called progressives as it is coming from conservatives.
Nevertheless, there are some gems in this volume, from writers who clearly realize the purpose of writing is to convince and communicate to an audience, and not to show off one's socialist credentials. Sunkara and Frase's closing essay is a surprisingly clear-eyed argument for fundamental change to be driven at the federal level, with a compelling proposal towards making this a reality. If only their call for liberals to not focus on "technocratic policy analyses" or "rhetorical appeals" and, indeed, to clearly state a "sweeping political vision that wins and sustains policy reforms" were heeded by the other essayists in the book.
What was more infuriating was that many of the essayists fall into the usual leftist trope of using ten-dollar words and convoluted sentences, as though the objective of radical change isn't to animate large groups of people towards action but to achieve a Flesch readability score below 30. Such intellectual navel-gazing can only lead to the dismissal of some very good ideas by the people whom they would benefit most. To use a metaphor that the left despises, this "trickle-down intellectualism" smacks of the worst kind of elitism and patriarchial, father-knows-best planning that has plagued our political and economic systems in the past.
On occasion, the essayists not only exhibit a stylistic arrogance but stray directly into the usual hectoring, absolutist dialectic typical of the left that I so despise. The worst is the transcript of a panel discussion on policing, putatively "moderated" by one Mychal Denzel Smith, who states at the outset that he is not an impartial moderator but an advocate for the complete abolition of policing, because in his view, police have no purpose except to oppress black people. Really? Smith would rather have total anarchy and no law enforcement because he believes police serve no beneficial purpose? To her credit, panelist Ashley Yates -- hailing from none other than Florissant, MO -- pushes back on Smith, saying there are systemic problems with policing in America but not advocating for the destruction of the entire system. Thank God, because the "you're with us or you're against us" rhetoric is no better coming from so-called progressives as it is coming from conservatives.
Nevertheless, there are some gems in this volume, from writers who clearly realize the purpose of writing is to convince and communicate to an audience, and not to show off one's socialist credentials. Sunkara and Frase's closing essay is a surprisingly clear-eyed argument for fundamental change to be driven at the federal level, with a compelling proposal towards making this a reality. If only their call for liberals to not focus on "technocratic policy analyses" or "rhetorical appeals" and, indeed, to clearly state a "sweeping political vision that wins and sustains policy reforms" were heeded by the other essayists in the book.
February 25, 2018
I received this book for free from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers Program.
Insofar as I don't want the future most of the contributors of this book are advocating for, this was an interesting read. I put off reviewing this for two years, so as part of my Lenten observance, I will review The Future We Want: Radical Ideas for the New Century.
The first essay, "Working for the Weekend," by Chris Maisano is a good example of what you'll find in the rest of the volume: excellent points interspersed with assertions premised on things I find dubious. For example, Maisano says that the definition of "full employment" is an economist's construct, based on the Non-Accelerating Inflation Rate of Unemployment, or NAIRU. It is indeed a bit strange to think that 5% unemployment, or 1 out of 20 people is looking for work [to horrendously oversimplify], constitutes full employment.
In principle, the NAIRU, or its equivalents, is supposed to be the point where there is equilibrium between labor and capital. It represents a place where the curves cross, based on some empirical data. There is some unemployment, and some change in prices. However, I find myself a little suspicious that the chosen euphemism for this is "full employment." If you read between the lines, the economists who write about this admit that there is an element of choice in what level of unemployment is considered acceptable.
I can get on board with that. I think my problem is that Maisano, and the other contributors to this volume support lots and lots of other things that directly work against the goal of a stronger labor movement. For example, immigration was long considered by union leaders to be a tool of the boss-class to keep wages down and workers internally divided. This subject never once comes up in Maisano's essay. Which is probably because it is an own-goal.
While I'm interested in many of the subjects discussed here, I'm far from convinced the contributors know enough about them to really contribute. Thus, despite some overlap with what I also find wrong with America, I think I'm still a contra.
Insofar as I don't want the future most of the contributors of this book are advocating for, this was an interesting read. I put off reviewing this for two years, so as part of my Lenten observance, I will review The Future We Want: Radical Ideas for the New Century.
The first essay, "Working for the Weekend," by Chris Maisano is a good example of what you'll find in the rest of the volume: excellent points interspersed with assertions premised on things I find dubious. For example, Maisano says that the definition of "full employment" is an economist's construct, based on the Non-Accelerating Inflation Rate of Unemployment, or NAIRU. It is indeed a bit strange to think that 5% unemployment, or 1 out of 20 people is looking for work [to horrendously oversimplify], constitutes full employment.
In principle, the NAIRU, or its equivalents, is supposed to be the point where there is equilibrium between labor and capital. It represents a place where the curves cross, based on some empirical data. There is some unemployment, and some change in prices. However, I find myself a little suspicious that the chosen euphemism for this is "full employment." If you read between the lines, the economists who write about this admit that there is an element of choice in what level of unemployment is considered acceptable.
I can get on board with that. I think my problem is that Maisano, and the other contributors to this volume support lots and lots of other things that directly work against the goal of a stronger labor movement. For example, immigration was long considered by union leaders to be a tool of the boss-class to keep wages down and workers internally divided. This subject never once comes up in Maisano's essay. Which is probably because it is an own-goal.
While I'm interested in many of the subjects discussed here, I'm far from convinced the contributors know enough about them to really contribute. Thus, despite some overlap with what I also find wrong with America, I think I'm still a contra.
June 4, 2018
I was under the misapprehension, based on a discussion between the editors that I had seen, that The Future We Want was proposing something new, but mostly it presents a grab bag of liberal ideas that have been floating around for a long time. Only in the last chapter, The Red and the Black, does the writer present actual socialist ideas, in this case, socializing capital markets (i.e., banks), which is an intriguing idea. Of the rest, some of the ideas are fine, and others are ludicrous (eliminating policing - do the authors really want a return to self-help for addressing crimes?) The stupidest is the idea that eliminating economic inequality would eliminate racism in this country - if anything, it might exacerbate it (viz. Obama's success bringing out more vocal racism from Trump and in support of Trump), because the last thing a bigot wants is to consider themselves on the same level as "those people." There are also assertions which are unsupported and simply wrong, for instance, in the chapter entitled The Cure for Bad Science, stating that "[n]euroscience offers cures to almost any disease of the mind," (what of bipolar disorder, dementia, schizophrenia?), or in the chapter titled Red Innovation, where the author proposes eliminating intellectual property, stating that, "[i]t is beyond dispute that this new form of social labor [presumably the author means open source computing, though this is not stated] has generated innovations superior in quality and scale to the output of capitalist firms." (Not only this is statement highly suspect, in using it to support abandoning property rights, it also ignores the quality and quantity of works created after the implementation of intellectual property rights in the 17th century compared with previous eras, and the dearth of technical innovation that emerged from Communist countries in the 20th century.)
In short, there is not much interesting in this volume, and, while brief, it was a waste of time.
In short, there is not much interesting in this volume, and, while brief, it was a waste of time.
April 19, 2020
Even though this book is only a few years old it is fascinating how the election of Trump and the emergence of a global pandemic have made it both more and less relevant at the same time. I enjoyed "Utopia for Realists" more but this text is much more grounded in the current political landscape of America specifically. Only one chapter felt a little "off" for me with its pacing and offering of concepts, otherwise the movement of different intersectional pieces with each chapter parking on stats, history, social commentary, and vision worked pretty well. Depending on your ideology some concepts could certainly be jarring and revolutionary (but the title and authors do not hide this objective).
January 9, 2019
Informative and productive read for social justice workers; left me craving more depth
I would absolutely recommend this to all of my friends invested in community organizing, social justice, and politics work. I loved the variety of topics discussed and solutions presented, with the interconnected perspective. I was hoping for more depth in the solution proposals and organizing strategies to bring them about. Overall, insightful and informative with practical talking points for the policies that would create a realistically equitable future.
I would absolutely recommend this to all of my friends invested in community organizing, social justice, and politics work. I loved the variety of topics discussed and solutions presented, with the interconnected perspective. I was hoping for more depth in the solution proposals and organizing strategies to bring them about. Overall, insightful and informative with practical talking points for the policies that would create a realistically equitable future.
November 7, 2017
This book had a lot of good ideas. Some of it was difficult to understand. I recommend it to the already politically savvy people.
November 28, 2018
The best chapters are essays on the politics of science. (more later)
September 25, 2019
About a century ago, another socialist was writing about "his work". These socialists are telling you about "their wants".
April 25, 2020
Quite technical on the economic theory at the end but overall pretty interesting ideas.
Read
December 25, 2021Good thought-provoking and compelling material.
July 12, 2024
More critique than ideas.
June 13, 2025
My fault for reading this in 2025.
The highlights were the essays by Megan Erickson and Spencer Ackerman.
The highlights were the essays by Megan Erickson and Spencer Ackerman.
March 5, 2017
A little something for everyone.
As with most anthologies not every chapter will appeal to you. But this book has a little something for everyone. I would highly recommend it to anyone who leans to the left.
As with most anthologies not every chapter will appeal to you. But this book has a little something for everyone. I would highly recommend it to anyone who leans to the left.
October 10, 2016
This book is definitely on the right track in a lot of ways, having a much better understanding than the typical mainstream left. I still feel like it falls short of addressing root causes though. It's basically just a call for socialism to replace capitalism, which could be a good thing or a complete disaster depending on how that would actually play out. In my opinion, a more socialist, planned economy would probably allow for the smoothest transition toward environmental and social justice but only if designed to decentralize, gradually shifting into smaller-scale and simpler societies. "Big government" regulations certainly have a role to play at the moment, just not as a permanent condition. This book's contributors do say that they're not advocating an "endpoint" though. Although not laying out a full transition plan, they do say that their proposals are meant to open the door to further, more radical changes in the future. However, they don't really specify on what direction they expect or want society to go from there. To me it sounds like they're just interested in creating a more equal high-tech, complex and globalized industrial civilization, still glorifying things like urbanism, innovation, ambition and "efficiency", where our lifestyles still depend on exploitation, just not quite as much as the status quo does. These things would certainly be an improvement, and they are potentially the best way to get us started on the right path, but it has to be specified that we are in fact trying to do that.
I'm actually kind of sick of reading these alternative economics books, having read a ton of them already and seeing the same flaws over and over again. It just bothers me that the best one I've come across, and therefore the one that I generally recommend to people, is still Charles Eisenstein's Sacred Economics. I always have to share it with caveats like "I can't stand his New Agey writing style", "I hate his teleological views on technological progress" and "I don't advocate that people only follow their passions and gifts rather than do what needs to be done whether they enjoy it or not", etc. I'd really like to find one that "gets it" and explains these ideas in ways that actually resonate with those who need to hear these things. So far nothing I've come across has really impressed me and at this point I just don't think I have enough patience left to keep doing this.
I'm actually kind of sick of reading these alternative economics books, having read a ton of them already and seeing the same flaws over and over again. It just bothers me that the best one I've come across, and therefore the one that I generally recommend to people, is still Charles Eisenstein's Sacred Economics. I always have to share it with caveats like "I can't stand his New Agey writing style", "I hate his teleological views on technological progress" and "I don't advocate that people only follow their passions and gifts rather than do what needs to be done whether they enjoy it or not", etc. I'd really like to find one that "gets it" and explains these ideas in ways that actually resonate with those who need to hear these things. So far nothing I've come across has really impressed me and at this point I just don't think I have enough patience left to keep doing this.
April 12, 2020
Several powerful essays on reimagining our economic system. Some were very academic and difficult to follow.
January 1, 2020
Erg Amerikaanse insteek.
Ietwat verouderd boek.
Ietwat verouderd boek.
June 13, 2016
It's clear that many of the social problems the US faces are not responding to the "solutions" we've implemented. Simply raging against injustice doesn't fix anything. Eleven critics of the status quo have contributed essays that outline pragmatic solutions to issues such as gender and racial inequality, criminal justice, scientific research and more. Well-thought and clearly expressed solutions here have the added impetus of being possible.
Personally, I'm a big fan of thinking creatively to create the future we want. Humanity is on the cusp of the greatest change in our long history. Will we allow personal liberty to continue to erode or will we become the true democratic power we've given lip service to? Many of the ideas put forth have already proved themselves in other parts of the world. We once led the world... and can do so again if enough of us insist upon reforms that allow increasing numbers to thrive. This collection of essays is a nice jumpstart to imagining and implementing change.
Personally, I'm a big fan of thinking creatively to create the future we want. Humanity is on the cusp of the greatest change in our long history. Will we allow personal liberty to continue to erode or will we become the true democratic power we've given lip service to? Many of the ideas put forth have already proved themselves in other parts of the world. We once led the world... and can do so again if enough of us insist upon reforms that allow increasing numbers to thrive. This collection of essays is a nice jumpstart to imagining and implementing change.
January 3, 2016
I won this in a Goodreads Giveaway. Pluses: gets you thinking, many of the essays are well thought out, and the overall call for a lean toward socialism resonates with me as a liberal. Minuses: some of these essays are, to put it bluntly, laughable, completely unrealistic, and beyond radical. I applaud the book's sense of energy and excitement, but I don't see how any politically savvy reader is going to think many of these ideas are ever going to gain traction or get off the ground. Sorry, but America is so far gone as an oligarchy already that reading this just frustrated me on the whole. Interesting food for thought, but I just don't see the political willpower coming from the grass roots to make this happen, not even among the young, angry, and disenfranchised.
January 2, 2016
Thank you Goodreads and Metropolitan Books for this give away. It is nice to jump start your political brain once and a while and these essays helped do just that. Some essays were challenging, but others I felt a well informed NPR listener would just say "yeah, and what else?" Some of the essays I wanted to see futher out into more ideas. I applaud the authors and editors for putting these peices out there and challenging all Americans, but particularly the leftside of the political spectrum, to have a more progressive agenda.
May 24, 2016
Very accessible for non-economist types like me. The last chapter (before the Coda) had parts that I didn't fully grasp, but that's ok.
I'm going to try to get as many people to read this as I can. I wanted to underline every line.
I'm going to try to get as many people to read this as I can. I wanted to underline every line.
June 7, 2016
Like most edited volumes, it's a bit uneven. Some authors are more specific than others about the types of policy prescriptions that would be needed to advance a progressive agenda. It was also just refreshing to read an unapologetically socialist platform.
May 9, 2016
Clear, easy-to-read political essays, although they go beyond that somewhat. I liked some of the essays more than others, but overall very interesting.
August 3, 2017
12 essays and contributors
eg
Small Not Beautiful, Tim Barker
ie, 'small business' does not imply 'good' business. You can find the same set of 'evils' of capitalism in a small business.
eg
Small Not Beautiful, Tim Barker
ie, 'small business' does not imply 'good' business. You can find the same set of 'evils' of capitalism in a small business.
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