If something seems hopeless, we tend to find refuge in the “Principle of Hope”. However, Ernst Bloch, the originator of this notion, did not long for failure but rather for fulfillment. His philosophy focuses on a humane society; his conceptual instruments aid in understanding human existence in its possibilities, not only with regard to society, but also with regard to art, religion and nature. This dictionary explains the most important guiding concepts of Bloch’s philosophy of “concrete utopia”.