The Left Alternative

218 Pages·2009·1.31 MB·English

by  Roberto Mangabeira Unger

TheL efAltt ernative
ROBERTO MANGABEIRA UNGER
VERSO
Lond•o Nne wY ork
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© RobertMoa ngabeUinrgae r2 005
Thipsa perback epdubiltiisobhnye V de rs2o0 09
Allr ighrtess erved
Thet norrailg hotfst hea uthoarn dt ranslhaatvoebr e ena sserted
1 3 51 078 96 4 2
Verso
UK:6 Mear<Slt reLeotn,d o\nV lF OEG
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Versiost hei 111porfiN net\ vL efBto oks
ISBN-1937:8 -1-84467-370-4
BritLiisbhr Caartya loignuP iunbgl icDaattiao n
A catalorgeuceo frodtr hibso oki sa vailafbrloent 1h eB ritiLsihb rary
LibroafrC yo ngrCeastsa loging-in-Publication Data
A catalroegc ofrodtr h ibso oki sa vailfarbol1tenh eL ibrao1fCy o ngress
TypesientT i1nbeysH e\veTre xtU K Ltd
Printiendt heU S byM aplVea il
Cotnnest
Preffaocare1 1ottihmeer vn
Thed ictatoofnr osa hlitpe r natives1
Thed isotraiteinonL eoftf the 12
Ther eorieonft atthiteo n Lef 20
Ana gewnotr:k wearnst tion g be
petbtoyu rg eois 42
Ana gennatt:i woannst tionb ged iefrfent 49
Ano pportiunnniotvya:t ion-friendly
cooper ation 52
Thed evelocpoiunngt ries:
growwtihti hn clusion 64
Eurotphere:e inveonfst oicodinea mlo c ra8c3y
,,
TlzLefte AlterzzatiFe
TheU nitSetda htoepse: folri tgttuhlyee 98
Globaliaznwadht aittood n o a boiutt 133
Twoc oncepotfti hoLene sf t 149
Calculaantpdir oonp hecy 164
PositpsPtcr:refa cteot h Gee 1ra1111-lead1i1tgi117o111 a1g e
Index 18 9
Praefcfeora notthiemre
Thew orld rreemsatiIlnthes as nsso .dt e spaoif red
findianb ge twtaeytr o f ufilllt he central promise of
democrwahciyci,hst oa cknowlaenddg eetq ou ip
thceo nsttirgvueecn oifu so rydm iennaa niwdo me n.
Thea mbitmiootni vatthsiiensag ir sc hm neortea l y
desifrogerr eaetqeura liitit sty h;de e mafonrd a
larlgieSfrue c.a h lifger ampnuetso tpm loer e at han
modepsrto spaenridin tdye penadnemdno cree, than
relfireoftm h eex treomfpe osv erdtryu,d gaeni dy,
oppresaslitohno,tu hgehs e goaltso b e continue
beyorneda fcohmr o shtu mabne inaglsit voed ay.
Imtu sotfe fra sw elalna scteonwta trhdee x perience
ofs e-lpfosseasnosdfi s oenl f-mtahkhaiatnps gl a yed
soc entar raolli en tChher isrtoimaann,at nidc ,
The Lefi Alteruati11e
libebraaclku gnrdto oo urs ecuildaero log ies of
emapncait ion.
Foarl ontgi me, thep owoprurllodamwrai ndtei c
cultwuirtiehtfo, sr muolfad se ceptiionns pai nrda tion,
hajso inwehda t suorftv hielvsieebs ea rnsadol c ialist
ideoltoog itseheswet h ole ownof rilrTdeh .eL e ft,
howevheafrsa, i ilne rdie tss pontsoci obnitltiihtniyus e
transfwoorrmIkin.fn agct thL,ee tf liosTs htea. i omf
thibso ok is dennootu ontrcto eo e xplain this
disorieInittts ao pt rioopnow.sa eyt ooa v erciotm.e
Theraern eo wt wom ain iLnet fthwseo rlA d.
recaalncLtie ttf rseteosk lsod wo wtnh mea rch to
markaentdtso g lobalitzowa htiiciohton f,f neors
alternIatwt aintvtoess . l ow the martch eh down in
intereisthtsi sotfoc roincsatli teusepnecctyih,ae l ly
oragnilzeadbf oorre cset abilnti hsceha epdi tal-inten­
sisveec toofir nsd uTshti1psya .r ts oocfia es thyr,i nk­
ingp ortoifot nh ep opulaitnai lomno esvte 1y
contempsoorcairheyat syh,,o wevienrc,r easingly
comteo b es eeann,td o s eiet saestl hfre,e poo1syi t
ofa f actiinotnearrlae tsththe aran s btehaero fet rh e
univeirnstaeolr fem satnsk ind.
A Leftth at alhraessa udryr enadcecreetpdh t es
markeecto noimniy tp sr esfeonratmn gdol bali zation
on ciutrsr ceonutra ssue n avoiadnadeb vleean s
benefiIcwtia anltt.osh umantihzeeTm o.t heins d ,
idte plcooymsp ensraetd0ii1bsyut trtihorno tuagxh­
anda-ntsrpfoelri Ichtia nesosp .r ogroatmht,eh rat nh e
viii
Praecffeora notthietrn e
progorfai mtc so nseravdavteirvsweai rtaihh eusm,a ­
nizdiinsgc ount.
Wen eeadt hiLredfb te,no tnd emocratth iezing
markeecto nomyo nd aenedp edneimnogc rTahcayt.
missriencgo,n stLreuwfcott uilivndes o inrs etd irect­
intgh e coofug rlsoeb altiozm aatkiteoh wneo rld
saffeoarrp luroafpl oiwteayrn o dfv isainofodnr t he
natieoxnpaelr iomnwe hnitocshu s ru ccienas csh iev­
ingg reaitnecrl uospipoonr,t aunndic tayp,a bility
largdeelpye nIdtws o.u lpdr opotsore e organize
thmea rkeecto noamsasy e ttfiosnrog c ially inclusive
econogmriocw Itnhp .u rsoufti htgi osa ilwt,o uld
wortko wardex ptehrei cmoeenxtiaslot fde ienfrcf­e
ent reogfpi rmievasan stdoe c piraolp earwste yla,sol f
diefrfewnatyo sfr elagtoivnegr ntmofe inrntw1sis t,h ­
int hsea mmea rkeecto noImtwy o.u ldde fean d
systoefm puebdluicca tthiaoetnq uiipnsfo,r ms,
anfdr etehmsei nbdya m ethooftd e acahtion ngc e
analdyitailce,(c ptrioccaebleya dc ionngtb reatswte en
poinotfvs i ewa)n,cd o operIatwt oiuvliedn. s oins t
reconcliolcmiaanlng a gemoefsn cth owoiltsh na­
tiosntaaln doafir ndvse stamneqdnu ta liwtoyu.l dI t
reftuoas lel oouwmr o rianlt eirne sstcosoc hieasli on
ands olidtaorr eisstotyl ueploymn o netyr safners
commanbdyte hdse t aitnte hf eo romfc ompensato1y
andr etrospreecdtiisvterI inbsuttieitawo don,u. l d
affirtmh per inctihpaeltvyee o 1nseh ould share, in
somwea ya nd att ismroeem,se p onfsoitrba ikliintgy
ix
71ie ALefltt emative
caroefo thpeero poluet shiiodswe n f amiSluyca. h
Letf wofuulrdt choemrm iitts teobl ufi ldadi en­g
mocramcoyr ues eftuool u rst ronmgoersaatln d
mateirnitaeltr heatsnhtv ese rsoifdo enmso ctrhaacty
exitsotd Tahyi.ds e epedneemdo crwaocuyla dd opt
arramnegnetthsra ati tshteee mperoafpt oulrie-t ics
thlee voefcl i veincg age-maenntdth qauti ctkheen
pacoefp oli-ttihcfesa cifloitrth ryee solouft ion
impaBsys e.s uch deviecneasbc,lo eni tte mw­ould
poryas 1ociteomt aiketesh emsmeolrvdeei ss tinctive,
ina ccorwdiatnthch eeu inrd erstoaftn hdeiiinnrtg e r­
esatnsid d eraaltsth heatrno c ontisniuneki inntago n
impotaenndat n grwyi ltlod iefrfenIctwe o.u ld
weaktehnde e pendoefcn hcaen ognec riAssia s .
resuiltwt o,u leda steh pea tthot hpeo liacnyd
institiuntnioovnatathliaa ortne s refqosuroi crieadl ly
incluesciovneog mriocw ttoth a kheo lTdh.ib so ok
sketacnhddee sf eanp drso gfroaarmL etdf efinbeyd
theasmeb it ions.
An intelblaesfciotssruu acalLh e tef xitsotdsoa nyli yn
fragmaenndat nst icipTahteai rognusm.oe fnt th is
boohka ass o neo fi tsst arptoiinnagrt esup diation
ofm anyo ft hper emiosfte hsse o ctihaelo -ries
Marxifisrmsa tm ontgh e-mt hahta veex er cised
thgeer atiensfltu eonntc heLe et of vetrhl ea hsutn dred
anfidf tyye aMrosr.e otvheaerr ,g umbeengtfi rnosam
beltihetafht o tshee orraireeesml bycr eatdh:pe r actical
Praecffeora notthieur1 e
importoaftn hcaeel libaentcweet erna nsformative
politics andt hporuogghrta.m matic
Iti s ennootu tgohc ollsemcatpl rla,c tical ideas
abowuhta ttod on exitne acrhe aolfsm o cpiraalc tice
anpdu bploilci Ictya .lii ssmo p orttoia nnstoi nbs it g
ideaabso tuhtde i recitnwi hointc ohm ovTeo.m ark
ouatr ouatnetd o d efihnoew t ob egtirna veilti:n g
thiatsth geer atesotf igtnihsfett i tiumtaigoinnaalt ion,
theim aginoafta ilotne rnattoit vreasn,s fonnative
practice.
Tog ivteh igsi ftto datyh,e ocrayn nroetm ain
contweinttth h meo deolfts h inkaibnogsu otc iety
anhdi sttohrcayot n titons uureruo nuds eovnes riyd e.
Icta nnaoltlt ohwie d oefai nstitaulttieornnatatoli ves
remaeinnt anignl edta hses umptthiaostnh sa ped
mucohf c lasssoicctiahalel o trhyat:th eerxei as ts
clolsiesdt of ianlstteirntaiutnhti iivsoet(snos arulyc h
as"e fudaloir"s cma"p itatlhieasatmc s"hu) ca;hl ter­
natfiovrem s an indwihviiscsthia bonlrfde as l slysstem,
asa w holaen;td h altaw -floirkcewe hsi,cp he o ple
canncootn tarnobdla ruenldye rsdtraifnvmdewa, r d
thhei stosruicccaeolsf ss uicoihnn stitsuytsitoenmasl.
Neithhoewre,v ceartn,h eoarcyq uiients hcee denial
ort railviizoafts itrounc cthuarnaagnledd i scontinuity
int hmea nnoefrt hdeo minparnatc toifsc oecsi al
science.
Thep rogramimmaatgiicn raetqiuoibnry te hde
Lefatl ternnaeteiadvt seh eotrhyia nts omree spects
x i