Utopia for Realists: And How We Can Get There
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- Create Date：2021-04-05 13:57:14
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Rutger Bregman
- ISBN：1408893215
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Summary
In Utopia for Realists， Rutger Bregman shows that we can construct a society with visionary ideas that are， in fact， wholly implementable。 Every milestone of civilisation – from the end of slavery to the beginning of democracy – was once considered a utopian fantasy。 New utopian ideas such as universal basic income and a fifteen-hour work week can become reality in our lifetime。
From a Canadian city that once completely eradicated poverty， to Richard Nixon's near implementation of a basic income for millions of Americans， Bregman takes us on a journey through history， beyond the traditional left-right divides， as he introduces ideas whose time has come。
From a Canadian city that once completely eradicated poverty， to Richard Nixon's near implementation of a basic income for millions of Americans， Bregman takes us on a journey through history， beyond the traditional left-right divides， as he introduces ideas whose time has come。
Reviews
Raphael Donaire
，
Bregman presents relevant concepts in his writing， allowing us to dream of a society with a universal basic income for everyone， open borders， a fifteen-hour workweek， and a growth measure different from the gross domestic product。If we want to change the world， we need to be unrealistic， unreasonable， and impossible。" Bregman presents relevant concepts in his writing， allowing us to dream of a society with a universal basic income for everyone， open borders， a fifteen-hour workweek， and a growth measure different from the gross domestic product。If we want to change the world， we need to be unrealistic， unreasonable， and impossible。" 。。。more
Marlijn Fonken
，
Straight to the point， interessant en niet langdradig met goede voorbeelden
Thomas Edmund
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I kind of needed this book。 At a time of my life and the world as it is things an seem pretty grim and I sometimes miss the naive passion I had for change that I had in my younger days。 This book kind of helped rekindle that line of thinking。Not that Utopia of Realists is a fluffy or emotional call to arms。 In fact quite the opposite， its a detailed and thorough examination of what works to better society in all areas。 It's not a lefty manifesto or a societal rant， its specific critical and inte I kind of needed this book。 At a time of my life and the world as it is things an seem pretty grim and I sometimes miss the naive passion I had for change that I had in my younger days。 This book kind of helped rekindle that line of thinking。Not that Utopia of Realists is a fluffy or emotional call to arms。 In fact quite the opposite， its a detailed and thorough examination of what works to better society in all areas。 It's not a lefty manifesto or a societal rant， its specific critical and interesting。I did have a sad laugh aboutt the section on borders however， obviously written well before Covid-19 that section will probably need an update。The key areas still of merit， discuss universal income， work weeks， our relationship with technology and concerns about BS jobs versus 'real。'Really happy I picked this one up - and strongly recommended for anyone like me struggling with a 'where-to' with their thoughts on the world。 。。。more
Ben Fish
，
An interesting read， but sadly a vision that will never be allowed to happen。The two main barriers stopping this vision from being achieved are 1）the greed of those who already have a lot of money 2） the brainwashing of those who don't have money to believe that it is the poor who are the problem。 What a better world we would live in if there were more people like this author。4。5/5。0 An interesting read， but sadly a vision that will never be allowed to happen。The two main barriers stopping this vision from being achieved are 1）the greed of those who already have a lot of money 2） the brainwashing of those who don't have money to believe that it is the poor who are the problem。 What a better world we would live in if there were more people like this author。4。5/5。0 。。。more
Susanne
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 “Let this be an encouragement to all those who feel like a lone voice crying out in the wilderness: Keep on building those castles in the sky。 Your time will come。”I read this in one sitting。 One of the first books that gave me much-needed hope in a period of being fed up by the world。
Andrei Iulian Luca
，
"Utopia se zărește la orizont。Fac doi pași spre ea; face doi pași în spate。 Mai înaintează zece pași și orizontul se îndepărtează cu alți zece pași。 Oricât m-aș deplasa， nu am să o ajung niciodată。 Așa că， ce sens are utopia？Are următorul sens: să nu te oprești din mers。" Eduardo Galeano "Utopia se zărește la orizont。Fac doi pași spre ea; face doi pași în spate。 Mai înaintează zece pași și orizontul se îndepărtează cu alți zece pași。 Oricât m-aș deplasa， nu am să o ajung niciodată。 Așa că， ce sens are utopia？Are următorul sens: să nu te oprești din mers。" Eduardo Galeano 。。。more
Runar Dahl
，
If you want to discuss universal income， this is simply the book you must read！
Soizic LARCHER
，
We need to be idealists and believe in utopia！ Politicians need to have a long-term vision and present new ideas， instead of being blocked in a short-sighted vision。I loved the optimistic view of the book， it felt enlightening but at the same time saddening to see that great ideas are swept aside based on ideology more than studies and scientific evidences。。。！A must read especially in these trouble times - hope is key to build a better world！
Belle de Jong
，
Sterke ideeën， hier kunnen （moeten？） we van leren。
Katie Davies
，
Pleasant， not much of it felt new though。 I hated the chapter where he talked about how important garbage collectors are。 I can see where he was going with it but it kind of missed a really important point about the state of our society - we live in a world where moving 'unwanted stuff' has become one of the most urgent jobs on the planet， which says sooo much about our wastefulness！！！ Pleasant， not much of it felt new though。 I hated the chapter where he talked about how important garbage collectors are。 I can see where he was going with it but it kind of missed a really important point about the state of our society - we live in a world where moving 'unwanted stuff' has become one of the most urgent jobs on the planet， which says sooo much about our wastefulness！！！ 。。。more
Christopher Napier
，
Very succinct and well argued case for how better things are possible if we only choose to want them。 Manages to tick all of my lefty boxes while taking quite a centrist， reasonable stance。 No mean feat。
W M
，
I spend so much time reading/complaining about all the ways the world is f’ed up but this book was a refreshing read packed with history and “utopian” solutions to society’s problems。 It was really inspiring to hear so much evidence and well structured arguments for things like a universal basic income。 Also he talked a lot about how neoliberalism only became popularized in a 50 year period and before that people thought it was INSANE - the same way people thing that a lot of socialist ideas are I spend so much time reading/complaining about all the ways the world is f’ed up but this book was a refreshing read packed with history and “utopian” solutions to society’s problems。 It was really inspiring to hear so much evidence and well structured arguments for things like a universal basic income。 Also he talked a lot about how neoliberalism only became popularized in a 50 year period and before that people thought it was INSANE - the same way people thing that a lot of socialist ideas are unrealistic now- which just goes to show that even awful ideas can proliferate if people at every level are committed to promoting them- which inspired me to learn more about organizing， and being able to clearly articulate my opinions around seemingly complex topics， which he called “reclaiming the language of progress，” hell yeah！ Strong would recommend and if anyone wants to be my Econ buddy please HMU 。。。more
Alike Last
，
Interessante ideeën weer！ Toch miste ik hier iets， maar wat？！ Misschien wat nieuwe utopieën？
Ianis Ilinescu
，
După ce vei citi cartea vei suferi un șoc。 Dar până la urmă （după spusele autorului） așa se transmit ideile， concepțiile neoliberale au prins la public în 1972， în timpul crizei petrolului。 Iar noi acum trecem printr-o criză， deci poate de asta ideile progresiste extremiste prind așa de mult la public。 Însă i-am oferit 5 stele， deoarece este cu adevărat o carte cu idei valoroase， mai extremiste ideile， dar valoroase。 De remarcat că este o carte pentru publicul larg。 Utopia descrisă de Rutger Br După ce vei citi cartea vei suferi un șoc。 Dar până la urmă （după spusele autorului） așa se transmit ideile， concepțiile neoliberale au prins la public în 1972， în timpul crizei petrolului。 Iar noi acum trecem printr-o criză， deci poate de asta ideile progresiste extremiste prind așa de mult la public。 Însă i-am oferit 5 stele， deoarece este cu adevărat o carte cu idei valoroase， mai extremiste ideile， dar valoroase。 De remarcat că este o carte pentru publicul larg。 Utopia descrisă de Rutger Bregman se învârte în jurul următoarelor idei: venit minim garantat， granițe deschise， o săptămână de lucru mai redusă și salarii mai mari pentru profesiile， care ajută societatea。 Fiecare idee este susținută cu argumente， pe care nu le voi mai scrie aici， deoarece mi-ar ocupa o groază de timp și spațiu și ar fi plicticoase până la urmă。 Eu vreau să accentuez o idee și mai plicticoasă decât cea descrisă mai în urmă。 La sfârșitul cărții autorul descrie un socialist supus， care nu îi poate opri pe neoliberali needucați， care i-au toate voturile。 Vă sună cunoscut？ Mie da。 Aceeași părere o au și cei de dreapta （neoliberalii， conservatori etc。） despre cei de stângă。 Poate că scena politică chiar este politizată așa cum ne spune încontinu "câinele de pază al democrației。" 。。。more
Alex Beige
，
Hey okay！ A pleasant historical introduction to a utopian projects like the 15-hour work week and UBI for you to whip out at Thanksgiving dinner as proof that these ideas are already historically viable。 Not a book for depth， though。 Also， it's more so an account of ideas rather than actual praxis。 But very nice still。 I'm not mad at it。 Hey okay！ A pleasant historical introduction to a utopian projects like the 15-hour work week and UBI for you to whip out at Thanksgiving dinner as proof that these ideas are already historically viable。 Not a book for depth， though。 Also， it's more so an account of ideas rather than actual praxis。 But very nice still。 I'm not mad at it。 。。。more
Elianne
，
Interessante ideeën en vraagstukken， maar door de schrijfstijl had ik het al drie keer bijna weggelegd。
Morgan Meader
，
“The difficulty lies， not in the new ideas， but in escaping from the old ones。” - John Maynard Keynes
Galen
，
Wait for a day when you're really down， hurt， and upset about the direction you see the world moving。 Then read this and feel better about the possibilities for change。 Wait for a day when you're really down， hurt， and upset about the direction you see the world moving。 Then read this and feel better about the possibilities for change。 。。。more
David Foster
，
This was a frustrating read for me。 The author makes a number of radical proposals that he thinks would change society for the better。Some of them are interesting and I have sympathy for （e。g。 Universal Basic Income） but his arguments are at times poor or badly phrased， his complete dismissal of whole swathes of jobs because they are not frontline staff suggests a complete lack of understanding of how much organisation it takes to keep a hospital running for example。This naivety for me， fatally This was a frustrating read for me。 The author makes a number of radical proposals that he thinks would change society for the better。Some of them are interesting and I have sympathy for （e。g。 Universal Basic Income） but his arguments are at times poor or badly phrased， his complete dismissal of whole swathes of jobs because they are not frontline staff suggests a complete lack of understanding of how much organisation it takes to keep a hospital running for example。This naivety for me， fatally undermines what might have been an interesting and challenging book 。。。more
➸ Gwen de Sade
，
Wundervolles Buch <3 Kann ich sehr empfehlen。 RTC
Ann Karapostol
，
It was quite interesting to read， lots of thoughs there and made me to recollect some of the economic theories， which I had studied at university。 So， in case if you would like to have a glance at various ideas （not just economic） you can read the book。 It does not provide information in full and "chewed" form which I think is good， since you can deep into the topic/idea reading from the other resources。 The book was curious to read。P。S。 and do not expect the answer in the book:） It's more abstr It was quite interesting to read， lots of thoughs there and made me to recollect some of the economic theories， which I had studied at university。 So， in case if you would like to have a glance at various ideas （not just economic） you can read the book。 It does not provide information in full and "chewed" form which I think is good， since you can deep into the topic/idea reading from the other resources。 The book was curious to read。P。S。 and do not expect the answer in the book:） It's more abstract and philosophical。 。。。more
taj
，
I particularly enjoyed the chapter on the "15 hour workweek" and "Open Borders"。 However， I found this to be quite surface level and not as persuasive as I had imagined。 There seem to be some contradictions in the logic the author uses to support their opinion。 All in all， still a decent read to familiarize with some new concepts that hopefully gain some more traction in the coming years。 I particularly enjoyed the chapter on the "15 hour workweek" and "Open Borders"。 However， I found this to be quite surface level and not as persuasive as I had imagined。 There seem to be some contradictions in the logic the author uses to support their opinion。 All in all， still a decent read to familiarize with some new concepts that hopefully gain some more traction in the coming years。 。。。more
poesiechaos
，
5 / 5 Sterne ✩✩✩✩✩ Wo muss ich unterschreiben， um in der beschriebenen Utopie zu leben 5 / 5 Sterne ✩✩✩✩✩ Wo muss ich unterschreiben， um in der beschriebenen Utopie zu leben 。。。more
Jolin
，
4。5 stars（？） "You may not dream the same dreams as Bregman – but he invites you to take dreaming seriously。 For that alone， this book is worth a read。" This quote by Will Hutton for The Observer essentially sums up my main point in this review。 I believe everyone has something to gain from reading this book， as long as you go in with an open mind and allow Bregman to present his （substantial） evidence to you。 As you may have seen from my Instagram stories， there are nearly 50 pages of notes in U 4。5 stars（？） "You may not dream the same dreams as Bregman – but he invites you to take dreaming seriously。 For that alone， this book is worth a read。" This quote by Will Hutton for The Observer essentially sums up my main point in this review。 I believe everyone has something to gain from reading this book， as long as you go in with an open mind and allow Bregman to present his （substantial） evidence to you。 As you may have seen from my Instagram stories， there are nearly 50 pages of notes in Utopia for Realists dedicated to links and sources of statistics cited throughout the text。 Almost every statement is backed by countless findings， packed neatly together into solid arguments。 Whether or not you end up convinced of Bregman’s ideas， you would still gain a different perspective on the economy， poverty， and the concept of utopia。 And to top it off， the tone is gentle and overall positive， the information given in bits and snippets， making it all easy to stomach， even for someone like me who typically despises any discourse on the global economy （oops）。In short， I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 I definitely do not read enough nonfiction （or translated works; huge props to Elizabeth Manton for this book）， so I hope to check out more in the future。 If you have any good recommendations please comment below or DM me！ I would like to thank Pansing Distribution for sending me this review copy， for I probably would not have picked it up if not for them。 Finally， here’s a quote featured in Utopia for Realists， but originally by Eduardo Galeano: “Utopia is on the horizon。 I move two steps closer; it moves two steps further away。 I walk another ten steps and the horizon runs ten steps further away。 As much as I may walk， I'll never reach it。 So what's the point of utopia？ The point is this: to keep walking。” 。。。more
Tom Spencer
，
Didn't vibe with this one like I have expected x Didn't vibe with this one like I have expected x 。。。more
Ashleigh Jackson
，
I thought I’d like this book a lot more than I did。 There was interesting historical tidbits but the actual argument for a shorter working week/UBI seemed to lack conviction。 Which is odd， because I believe the author has lots of it。 Fine， but definitely lacked the intellectual storytelling or rousing call to action I expected。
Nikita Nautiyal
，
3。8
Roland Kormoczy
，
Very interesting concept introduced on a very interesting way。
Dani
，