The paper discusses the value of imagination in educational debate and makes an argument for Irish adult educators making space and time to envisage a range of possible futures for the field beyond the terms offered in current policy. It explores this topic in relation to neoliberal educational reform and the broader social context. The second half outlines one possible future--adult education for a participatory democracy and sketches out some of what this might entail both in principle and in practice. (A bibliography is included.)