Most of us are overworked in jobs we are not happy in, and we try to be happy by consuming things we don't really need in the time we have left. It's not that this is not good, or that things could be worse in the future. We have changed the direction of our civilization many times, and we can change it again. The point is that we can't imagine anything better than what we have. Where are today's big ideas? Was our last great ideal "purchasing power"? From now on, are we going to talk about the greatness of our civilization in terms of gross national product, which is an unknown measure?

"Utopia for Realists is not an attempt to predict the future, but to unlock it," says Bregman. "And for that, we need to go back to utopias." From the abolition of slavery to the equality of men and women, many of the milestones of our civilization were previously utopias. Utopia for Realists draws on field studies, experiments and case studies to show that some ideas that may seem utopian today - such as a basic income for everyone, working or not - are actually achievable. As long as we remember that we can do better than a civilization built on consumerism and consensus on market realities.

Let's dream big again.