Gregory Claeys Bücher

Die Suche nach der idealen Welt ist eine universelle menschliche Sehnsucht, die von Platon bis zu Jonathan Swifts Gulliver und den Hippies reicht. Utopien, so durchdacht und hoffnungsvoll sie auch sind, scheitern oft an der Realität. Überall und zu allen Zeiten haben Denker und Reformer nach einer gerechteren und glücklicheren Welt gestrebt, doch die Frage bleibt: Ist diese Suche nur eine fixe Idee oder ein brauchbarer Leitfaden für Politiker? Gregory Claeys, ein Experte für Utopiegeschichte, bietet in einem spannenden, bildreichen Überblick einen tiefen Einblick in diese faszinierende Idee, die trotz ihrer Unmöglichkeit zahlreiche Bibliotheken füllt und sich durch Literatur, Geschichte, Kunst und Populärkultur zieht. In 14 Kapiteln spannt der Autor den Bogen über alle Kontinente und Epochen, beginnend mit Gilgameschs Suche nach dem ewigen Leben, über die Visionen der alten Griechen bis hin zu Thomas Morus‘ 'Utopia' und moderner Science Fiction. Zu den behandelten Themen gehören Homers 'Odyssee', ideale Städte im Mittelalter, Jonathan Swifts 'Gullivers Reisen', kommunistische Gesellschaftsmodelle, die Zeit der Hippies und Utopie im Film, wie in Ray Bradburys 'Fahrenheit 451'.

Das 19. Jahrhundert war ein Jahrhundert der grossen sozialen und politischen Bewegungen. Unter dem Gesichtspunkt des Radikalismus dieser Bewegungen untersuchen die Aufsätze dieses Bandes zum einen die historischen Grundlagen: Wieso waren Reformen nötig, wer waren ihre Träger, was meint «radikal»? Zum anderen stellen sie literarische Texte vor, die diese gesellschaftlichen Fragen aufgreifen und «radikal», sei es in politischer, sei es in ästhetischer Hinsicht, darauf antworten. Behandelte Autor/inn/en: Balzac, Sand, Beecher Stowe, Fuchs, englische Schriftsteller/innen von Wordsworth bis Hopkins.

Focusing on Mill's deep engagement with Malthusianism, this book explores how this concern shaped his views on liberty. It delves into the philosophical implications of population theories on Mill's arguments, revealing a nuanced understanding of the interplay between individual freedom and societal constraints. By highlighting this often-overlooked aspect of Mill's work, the book provides fresh insights into his thoughts on the balance between personal rights and the challenges posed by population growth.

"How the utopian tradition offers answers to today's environmental crises. In the face of Earth's environmental breakdown, it is clear that technological innovation alone won't save our planet. A more radical approach is required, one that involves profound changes in individual and collective behavior. Utopianism for a Dying Planet examines the ways the expansive history of utopian thought, from its origins in ancient Sparta and ideas of the Golden Age through to today's thinkers, can offer moral and imaginative guidance in the face of catastrophe. The utopian tradition, which has been critical of conspicuous consumption and luxurious indulgence, might light a path to a society that emphasizes equality, sociability, and sustainability. Gregory Claeys unfolds his argument through a wide-ranging consideration of utopian literature, social theory, and intentional communities. He defends a realist definition of utopia, focusing on ideas of sociability and belonging as central to utopian narratives. He surveys the development of these themes during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries before examining the twentieth- and twenty-first-centuries debates about alternatives to consumerism. Claeys contends that the current global warming limit of 1.5°C (2.7°F) will result in cataclysm if there is no further reduction in the cap. In response, he offers a radical Green New Deal program which combines ideas from the theory of sociability with proposals to withdraw from fossil fuels and cease reliance on unsustainable commodities. An urgent and comprehensive search for antidotes to our planet's destruction, Utopianism for a Dying Planet asks for a revival of utopian ideas, not as an escape from reality, but as a powerful means of changing it"--Dust jacket flap

The book presents a revised timeline detailing the rise of opposition to the British Empire between 1850 and 1920. Gregory Claeys explores the various movements and ideologies that challenged imperial authority during this period, shedding light on the complexities of colonial resistance and the socio-political factors that influenced these developments. Through this analysis, the author aims to provide fresh insights into the historical narrative surrounding British imperialism and its critics.

An illuminating history of Marx's thought and intellectual influence from a leading historian of socialism Why was Marx so successful as a thinker? Did he have a system and if so, what does it consist of? How did Marxism develop in the twentieth century and what does it mean today? Karl Marx remains the most influential and controversial political thinker in history. The movements associated with his name have lent hope to many victims of tyranny and aggression but have also proven disastrous in practice and resulted in the unnecessary deaths of millions. If after the collapse of the Soviet Union his reputation seemed utterly eclipsed, a new generation is reading and discovering Marx in the wake of the recurrent financial crises, growing social inequality and an increasing sense of the injustice and destructiveness of capitalism. Both his critique of capitalism and his vision of the future speak across the centuries to our times, even if the questions he poses are more difficult to answer than ever. In this wide-ranging account, Gregory Claeys, one of Britain's leading historians of socialism, considers Marx's ideas and their development through the Russian Revolution to the present, showing why Marx and Marxism still matter today.

Argues that, since individuals are wholly formed by their environment, education is the crucial factor in transforming them. This work then adopts far more radical position, proposing nothing less than 'the emancipation of mankind' and the creation of a 'new moral world', and a full-scale reorganization of British society.

Aspirations for a better - even a perfect - society have existed throughout history, often imagined in intricate detail by philosophers, poets, social reformers, architects and artists. This book explores a perennially powerful idea: the quest for the ideal society. Gregory Claeys surveys the influence of the idea of Utopia on history. Central to his exploration of ideal worlds are creation myths; archetypes of heaven and the afterlife; new worlds and voyages of discovery; ages of revolution and technological progress; model communities and kibbutzim; political and ecological dystopias; space travel and science fiction. The most significant utopias throughout history - whether envisaged or attempted - are covered, including visions of the ideal society in the West as well as American, Asian, African and the Arab worlds. From classical times to the present day, this compelling book traces the enduring human need to imagine and construct ideal worlds.