Revolution of Concepts: Redefining the Possible in Political Thought

By Professor Sawsan Mabrouk

In its deepest analytical manifestations, politics transcends being merely the “art of the possible” in the narrow pragmatic sense, becoming instead an existential and epistemic engagement with the limits of reality. While the German chancellor intended his famous formulation to establish “political realism” as an alternative to dreamy idealism, the philosophical evolution of the concept has revealed a “revolution of concepts” that redefined the very notion of the “possible.” The possible is no longer a geopolitical destiny imposed by geography or dictated by brute military force; it has become a flexible space shaped by vision and cognitive innovation.

This analytical shift moves us from “responsive politics,” which manages constraints, to “constructive politics,” which extends the boundaries of reality toward horizons previously classified as utopian. Within the framework of scientific and intellectual revolutions, the tools of political action have transformed: soft power, symbolic dominance, and discourse formation have replaced direct confrontation, making the “possible” the product of a political actor’s ability to convince the collective of new alternatives. True politics today practices a “cognitive rupture” with rigid assumptions, turning structural obstacles into platforms for unconventional solutions, explaining how political movements and international projects have managed to break the determinisms of history and geography by reshaping collective consciousness around the concept of the “available.”

Nevertheless, a critical dimension warns against turning the “art of the possible” into a pretext for mediocrity or resignation to the status quo under the guise of realism. Deep analysis shows that the creative politician is one who refuses to submit to the definitions imposed by dominant powers of what is “possible,” and instead seeks to expand the sphere of the possible through a “revolution in methodology.” It is an ongoing process of deconstruction and reconstruction, where old concepts that legitimize incapacity are dismantled, and new concepts are built, granting political action ethical and cognitive momentum. In this way, the “possible” becomes an open horizon rather than a constrained limit, and politics becomes a continuous journey of transforming the “aspired” into tangible reality through conscious engineering of the balances of power and thought.