Possibilism

The first possibilists were a faction of the French socialist movement, led by Paul Brousse and Benoît Malon. They were leftist firebrands and radicals, but they opposed the anarchists, and those advocating for a worker’s revolt, because they didn’t believe those solutions could work in their contemporary context. Instead they proclaimed the reformist principle of achieving only what is ‘possible’: working for reachable gains instead of the utopian ideal.

The Possibilists were a trend in the French workers’ movement from the 1880’s to the early 20th century that supported the idea of municipal socialism. At first the Possibilists, headed by Brousse and soon after by Malon, constituted the reformist wing of the Workers’ Party. They led the movement against revolutionary Marxism and adhered to the “policy of possibilities” as formulated by Brousse. 

Thus a possibilist is a supporter or advocate of policies aiming to bring about immediately practicable or feasible reforms. It is not the position of an optimist - that sounds naive. A “possibilist” is someone who neither hopes without reason, nor fears without reason, someone who constantly resists outlandish worldviews of either persuasion. 

The future is not destined to be dark or bright, fallen or triumphant. Rather, the future is open. The new politics of possibility should have no utopia, no place, no end. A politics of possibility demands that we aspire to new beginnings. 

The problem is not that people don’t see the nightmare, but rather that they do not allow themselves to dream. The crises we face demand not that we wake up to reality but that we dream differently. This is the aspiration to imagine new realities, create new values, and reach new heights of possibility. 

As socialists, we ought to dream about possibilities. Undoubtedly, there is more that is possible in the future if we choose reform on the electoralism front while we build socialism independent of the state. 

With many possibilities in mind, this is the most multifaceted approach. As we produce results electorally we will have to accelerate the creation of socialist counter power in our life outside the state. With many possibilities open to the advancement of our goals. 

We ought to participate in electoralism in order to prevent the slide into fascism. We should continue to support municipal socialist candidates. But most important is the self-emancipation of the working class via the organization of workers councils.