Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals

“We are living in a world of mass media which daily exposes society’s innate hypocrisy, its contradictions and the apparent failure of almost every facet of our social and political life.”

Contemporary life necessitates being aware of what is happening in the world.. There is a duty to confront the contradictions and hypocrisy within society and to try and change it.

“In this book we are concerned with how to create mass organizations to seize power and give it to the people; to realize the democratic dream of equality, justice, peace, cooperation, equal and full opportunities for education, full and useful employment, health, and the creation of those circumstances in which man can have the chance to live by values that give meaning to life.”

Alinsky’s goal is to provide information to those who want to bring about revolutionary change. Alinsky wants to transform the social and economic hierarchy that creates inequality, and to enable all people to enjoy human rights.

“Dogma is the enemy of human freedom.”

Alinsky says that rigidity is death. The revolutionary must be fluid with their means and open to changing them. For the radical, nothing is sacred. They need to question established ways of doing things to achieve their goals.