Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals

“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.

“Political realists see the world as it is: an arena of power politics moved primarily by perceived immediate self-interests, where morality is rhetorical rationale for expedient action and self-interest.”

The radical must be a realist: they must see the world for what it is. Any change comes out of the status quo. The ability to effect change requires honesty about the present condition.

“The prime illusion we must rid ourselves of is the conventional view in which things are seen separate from their inevitable counterparts.”

The modern person tends to view the world as a series of individuals and unconnected parts. The radical recognizes that this is a mistake. They understand that the world consists of relationships and connections. Values are not isolated.

“[O]ptimism brings with it hope, a future with a purpose, and therefore, a will to fight for a better world.”

The only way that the radical can bring lasting change is through optimism. Optimism must also be ingrained in the community for which the radical fights. Without optimism, the climb upwards cannot be sustained.

“I believe that man is about to learn that the most practical life is the moral life and that the moral life is the only road to survival. He is beginning to learn that he will either share part of his material wealth or lose all of it…”

The interconnectedness of human life should be our foundation. Often what is best and moral is pitted against what is practical and efficient. Alinsky notes that this is a false binary; the two are inseparable and ultimately the same. What is moral is most practical: it will allow the greatest distribution of the good life and sustain it for the longest possible time.

“The most unethical of all means is the non-use of any means.”

This is another way of saying that evil flourishes when good people do nothing. There is nobody who can avoid decision-making; even refusing to decide is in fact a decision. By refusing to decide, one is actively making the world worse.

“Men must change with the times or die.”

Change in circumstances and environment brings with it the need to change one’s outlook and way of living. The world will always evolve; to live a good life one needs to change with the world. Denying this is to deny reality.

“To me ethics is doing what is best for the most.”

The most ethical choice, Alinsky says, is to make the best decision for the most amount of people. This relates to previous statements about pursuing the common good. Ethics means striving to make the best decision for the majority, even if it means that a minority of people are given the short end of the stick.

“Democracy is not an end; it is the best political means available toward the achievement of these values.”

Alinsky does not support democracy as an objective and intrinsic good in itself, but as a means toward a particular end. He reminds the reader that the democratic system of government is not good simply by being democratic; it is the best political means for securing the common good.

“A free and open society is an on-going conflict, interrupted periodically by compromises […].”

Alinsky notes that a free society is necessarily a pluralistic one, and with a pluralistic society comes a wide range of competing and contrasting values and ideas. This sometimes leads to conflict, which is not necessarily a bad thing when it can be met with and resolved by compromise.

“The leader is driven by the desire for power, while the organizer is driven by the desire to create.”

The difference between a leader and an organizer is that the leader needs power and is defined by the power to lead. The organizer does not necessarily have to be the leader of the group. They are the mind behind the group, allowing it to function and take shape.

“Before men can act an issue must be polarized.”

The vast majority of people have difficulty perceiving nuance. To act or come to a decision, issues must be set in binary terms. When two very different choices are available, the choice between them becomes possible.

“In mass organization, you can’t go outside of people’s actual experience.”

Personal experience is the only lens through which people are able to view the world. If someone tries to get someone else to understand a concept, they must draw on the experience of the person they are teaching. 

“One of the factors that changes what you can and can’t communicate is relationships.”

Relationships are key to the organizer’s ability to relate information and change hearts and minds. The saying “people don’t care what you know until they know that you care” is at play; communication is enhanced by particular relationships.

“Remember, too, that a powerless people will not be purposefully curious about life, and that they then cease being alive.”

Life is defined by the ability to live and not merely survive. When curiosity and wonder disappear, the reason for living disappears, and with it the desire to make life better.

“Change comes from power, and power comes from organization. In order to act, people must get together.”

Strength lies in numbers. The ability to act together toward a single goal is paramount for revolution. The community needs to function as a community rather than as a disconnected myriad of individuals.

“Denial of the opportunity for participation is the denial of human dignity and democracy. It will not work.”

Agency, or the power to move and decide for oneself, is a fundamental part of being human. Human dignity is rooted in freedom. The removal of agency and self-determination destroys freedom and human dignity.

“Power is not static; it cannot be frozen and preserved like food; it must grow or die. Therefore, in order to keep power the status quo must get more.”

The possession of power is not static. Power is fluid and alive; it is either receding or approaching. If a community is not gaining power over itself, then it is losing power. If change is to occur, power must be continually sought after.

“Accident, unpredictable reactions to your own actions, necessity, and improvisation dictate the direction and nature of tactics.”

One must be able to improvise and change direction at a moment’s notice. In the ebb and flow of revolution and great social change, not everything will go to plan. In fact, as Alinsky notes, this rarely occurs. One must devise tactics that are malleable.

“Large parts of the middle class, the ‘silent majority,’ must be activated; action and articulation are one, as are silence and surrender.”

The middle class is the greatest catalyst for change. This group, while being the largest, is also the quietest, the “silent majority” who must be mobilized.

“There are enormous basic changes ahead. We cannot continue or last in the nihilistic absurdities of our time where nothing we do makes sense.”

Alinsky feels that the society of his time demands radical reevaluation of long-held values and desires. The status quo needs to change. Continuing in the same direction is an exercise in futility.

“Of all the pollution around us, none compares to the political pollution of the Pentagon.”

Environmental crises are matched only by political and social crises. Governmental pollution needs to be addressed for long-term change.