The idea of socialism has given normative grounding and orientation to the outrage over capitalism for more than 150 years, and yet today it seems to have lost much of its appeal. Despite growing discontent, many would hesitate to invoke socialism when it comes to envisioning life beyond capitalism.

Preface Notes Introduction Notes I. The Original Idea: The Consummation of the Revolution in Social Freedom Notes II. An Antiquated Intellectual Structure: The Spirit and Culture of Industrialism Notes III. Paths of Renewal (1): Socialism as Historical Experimentalism Notes IV. Paths of Renewal (2): The Idea of a Democratic Form of Life Notes Index

"Axel Honneth explores the contemporary meaning of the socialist ideal. Drawing on Hegel, Dewey, Marx, and the utopian socialist tradition, Honneth argues – with great power – that socialism is about harmonizing ideals of freedom and solidarity, creating institutions of social freedom that more fully realize the Enlightenment’s normative project. Creating that order will require socialists to think beyond economy and social class, to imagine a form of democratic society animated by an experimental spirit – a society that expands the scope of problem-solving through free communication among equals. I hope this important and illuminating book gets the wide readership it deserves." Joshua Cohen, Stanford University "Axel Honneth makes a lucid and compelling case for renewing the utopian impulse of the early Marx in the context of the present. In this quite remarkable book, Honneth asks why various contemporary forms of discontent do not easily transform into a vision of the future. He returns to the early documents of socialism in order to mark their limits and to formulate a more substantial account of social freedom. The great ambition of this small book is to show that a more robust understanding of social freedom, cooperative life, and ideals of solidarity, can be derived from a reformulated account of the social sphere. In his view, freedom only makes sense on the basis of cooperative orientations. This early ideal can, and must, be renewed in light of the contemporary differentiation of needs, and the contemporary political demands on communication and recognition. Mindful of what remains vibrant in the past and imperative for the future, Honneth deftly shows how the ideal of socialism can orient our thought and action in the contemporary political world." Judith Butler, University of California