The Ends of Utopian Thinking in Critical Theory (Historical Materialism Book, 290)

The Ends of Utopian Thinking in Critical Theory is the first book devoted to utopia as a subject matter of politics. Dedicated to a better future, the book delineates how utopian thinking became defeated and explains why it needs to be salvaged. "The book offers a critical account of how utopian thinking became defeated as a tool of philosophy whose explicit objective has been to not only analyse but emancipate the world. While such philosophy was originally inseparable from ideas of a radically better society it aimed to realise, many of its most influential practitioners today object to the use of utopian ideas. Countering this scepticism, the book argues in favour of utopian thinking. By elucidating a concept of utopia freed of its alleged pitfalls, the book contends that utopian thinking indeed presents an important resource for achieving emancipatory social goals"-- Provided by publisher