think our way into a different future.

We have to fight against our own deeply ingrained status quo bias and control the normal defense mechanisms of cynicism and apathy because without social dreaming, progress becomes impossible.

Those who benefit from the way things are have a strong motive for labeling as “utopian” any ideas that threaten the status quo. But even beyond that, those steeped in the ideology of their current existence cannot imagine an alternative to it. And most of us follow along.

By studying the history of social dreams, we can reject the bad bits and keep the good: challenging ourselves to explore alternatives for how we live,

Dreamers Have Always Had Haters

“Tell everyone that the future will be radiant and beautiful,” Chernyshevsky wrote. “Love it, strive toward it, work for it, bring it nearer, transfer into the present as much as you can from it.”3

a persistent and profound suspicion of political imagination; readers avoid even thinking about visions labeled or derided as “utopian.”

sudden change forces us to question our perception of reality and consider new possibilities that may have previously seemed unthinkable.

where we reside, how we raise and educate our children, our personal relationship to things, and the quality of our connections to friends, families, and partners impact us as much as tax policies, the price of energy, or the way we organize formal employment.