A brilliant exploration of freedom—what it is how it’s been misunderstood and why it’s our
only chance for survival—by the acclaimed Yale historian and author of the #1 New York Times
bestseller On Tyranny Timothy Snyder has been called “the leading interpreter of our dark
times.” As a historian he has given us startling reinterpretations of political collapse and
mass killing. As a public intellectual he has turned that knowledge toward counsel and
prediction working against authoritarianism here and abroad. His book On Tyranny has inspired
millions around the world to fight for freedom. Now in this tour de force of political
philosophy he helps us see exactly what we’re fighting for. 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. On Freedom takes us on a thrilling intellectual journey. Drawing on the work of
philosophers and political dissidents conversations with contemporary thinkers and his own
experiences coming of age in a time of American exceptionalism Snyder identifies the practices
and attitudes—the habits of mind—that will allow us to design a government in which we and
future generations can flourish. We come to appreciate the importance of traditions (championed
by the right) but also the role of institutions (the purview of the left). Intimate yet
ambitious this book helps forge a new consensus rooted in a politics of abundance generosity
and grace.
