A forlorn hope

A Forlorn Hope: Psychoanalysis in Search of Scientific Respectability

Robert Langs sets himself a difficult task in attempting "a hierarchical theory of psychoanalysis to render it as complete a theory of the emotional domain as presently possible" (p. 47). He knows the criticisms that have been leveled at psychoanalysis, and he separates himself from other apologists for the theory. He is forthright in acknowledging that psychoanalysis up to now has been unfalsi...

Hope against Hope

In the penultimate chapter of the Bible, in the opening statement of the very last speech God makes in the whole of the Christian Scriptures, God says: "Behold I am making all things new" (Rev 21:5). The prophet sees the old heavens and the old earth the universe as it now is passing away, and new heavens and a new earth, God's new creation of all things, coming into being. It is not that God r...

Hope for a Cause as Cause for Hope: The Need for Hope in Environmental Sociology

Hope is a crucial component of agency involving the setting of goals, visualization of obstacles, and increasing willpower in the effort of achieving a desired goal. This hope is not simply optimism and is potentially a bridge between structure and agency. Yet, the powers of hope in sociology have been greatly unexplored including the ability of collective hope to create social change. This lac...

A Basis for Hope

It was an overcast, Thursday afternoon. The fog was rolling in across the Bay and the temperature was dropping. It was the kind of day that is more typical of summer than fall in the Bay Area. It was late in the day and I was feeling particularly uninspired about my job. When I had first started working as the Executive Assistant to Mayor Loni Hancock, I’d thought I had the best job in the City...

"Hope, Danger's Comforter": Thucydides, Hope, Politics