On Freedom by Timothy Snyder
Historian and scholar of authoritarianism Timothy Snyder has a new book out called On Freedom (Bookshop.org), a companion to his 2017 bestseller On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century.
Freedom is the great American commitment, but as Snyder argues, we have lost sight of what it means — and this is leading us into crisis. Too many of us look at freedom as the absence of state power: We think we’re free if we can do and say as we please, and protect ourselves from government overreach. But true freedom isn’t so much freedom from as freedom to — the freedom to thrive, to take risks for futures we choose by working together. Freedom is the value that makes all other values possible.
If you’ve been reading this site for any length of time, you’ll know that I am in favor of the type of freedom Snyder describes. This one is going on the list.
Discussion 2 comments
I became a big fan of Timothy Snyder after watching his Fall 2022 course, "The Making of Modern Ukraine". Highly recommended. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh9mgdi4rNewfxO7LhBoz_1Mx1MaO6sw_
On Freedom is next on my reading list.
This quote immediately brought to mind Marathe and Steeply’s discussion on freedom in Infinite Jest. “Your freedom is the freedom-from: no one tells your precious individual U.S.A. selves what they must do. It is this meaning only, this freedom from constraint and forced duress. … But what of the freedom-to?” I found this distinction very intriguing in IJ and I am excited read how it is explored further in this book.
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