Hope
“Social hope” is a concept referring to individuals’ collective expectations for a better future and society, which is produced and sustained through social interaction and collective action. It encompasses a belief in social dreams and the possibilities for life opportunities, and can be a powerful driver of social change, even amid despair.
In academic and philosophical contexts
- Collective vision: Social hope is the belief in a better future for a group, community, or society as a whole. It’s a form of collective imagination and a belief that a more just and humane world is possible.
- Response to struggle: It is often forged in the face of hardship, with figures like Martin Luther King Jr. suggesting that hope can be “hewn from the mountain of despair”.
- Social action: It involves the belief that people can and should act to change society for the better. According to political philosopher Richard Rorty, hope is an instrument of change that can expand our moral community and promote fairness.
- Inclusivity: Some thinkers, like Shannon Stitzlein, argue that social hope must be inclusive and consider the hopes of all groups, not just one nation or group.
In practical and social contexts
- Life opportunities: Social hope is connected to the perceived possibilities for life opportunities, such as having a good job, financial stability, and independence.
- Social movements: It fuels movements for social change, encouraging people to keep striving for a more just world despite backlash and hardship.
- Public art: Creative expression, like public art and murals, can be a form of social hope, as it uses imagination to envision a more positive future and awaken social receptivity.
AI responses may include mistakes.
[1] https://journals.indexcopernicus.com/publication/3553132
[2] https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-69870-6_5
[4] https://www.hopesocialskills.com/
[5] https://societyofhope.org/
[6] https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1052&context=educ_facpub
[7] https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-658-16253-5_18
[8] https://www.amazon.com/Philosophy-Social-Hope-Richard-Rorty/dp/0140262881