Politics : a work in constructive social theory. Volume 1, False necessity : anti-necessitarian social theory in the service of radical democracy

Volume 1 of Politics, a work in constructive social theory. False necessity is the central work in the three-volume series Politics. It presents both a way of explaining society and a program for changing it. The explanation develops a radical alternative to Marxism, showing how we can account for established social arrangements without denying their contingency or our freedom. The program offers a progressive alternative to the now-dominant ideological conceptions of neoliberalism and social democracy: a set of institutional innovations that would democratize markets, deepen democracy and empower individuals. "This new edition of False Necessity begins Verso's reissuing of all of Roberto Mangabeira Unger's books of political and social thought. Unger's work has attracted increasing attention throughout the world. His ideas have helped, in many countries, to inform and inspire progressives who look for alternatives to the ruling political and economic orthodoxy and to its view of globalization. These forces have found in Unger's writings signposts marking a route to the reconcillation of greater social equality and inclusion with the strengthening of people's freedoms and capacities. To achieve this goal, he argues, we must organize market economies, democratic politics, and civil societies in new ways, and learn to dispense with crisis as the condition of reform."--BOOK JACKET Roberto Mangabeira Unger. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 604-639) And Indexes.