Thinking Differently About Transformation – A Polemic

Multiple experiences of crisis mean that many conditions of our way of life over the past decades have become questionable. Their vulnerability and prerequisites are becoming increasingly visible. This generates a call everywhere for rapid, as comprehensive as possible transformation. Because another world is possible; we just need to want it. However, this triumph of will does not take into account the obstinacy, the inner complexity, and the resistances of a society that is not an addressable collective. It also does not consider the populist reaction to experiences of crisis. It is becoming increasingly clear that one cannot transform against society, but only within it and with it – and only with its own means.

Transformation is often discussed with grand gestures and even greater concern. Whether it is about combating climate change, restructuring state and economy, or the question of ending wars: urgency is often equated with possibility and willingness to agree, frequently with a cautionary perspective. What is forgotten is that all transformation must take place in a world that is already there and reacts with its own means, including populist threats to democracy. Armin Nassehi, in his clear intervention, asks what lies beyond the grand gesture: a society that must think differently about transformation and will ultimately benefit from the logic of small steps.

"Small steps do not mean small solutions."

• Armin Nassehi's most committed book

• A rejection of the grand gestures and illusions of the transformation discourse

• Why societal transformation is only possible through concrete steps and not as a disruptive overhaul.