Timothy Snyder explores the true essence of freedom as a commitment essential for flourishing democracies. He critiques the notion of freedom as mere absence from state control, advocating instead for a proactive approach where individuals collaboratively strive for prosperous futures. This historical perspective highlights evolving concepts of freedom and governance.
In this tour de force of political philosophy, Timothy Snyder explains what we’re fighting for, given that freedom is the outstanding American commitment. Still, we have lost sight of what it means, leading us into crisis. Too many of us view 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 and to take risks for futures we choose by working together. Freedom is the value that makes all other values possible.
Snyder argues that the concepts of freedom, republic, and democracy have changed over time. Thus, just as the Founding Fathers drew inspiration from classical Greece and Rome, they also expanded their political concepts to nourish them with the demands of their own time. In a time of American exceptionalism, this historical essay on contemporary international politics identifies the practices and attitudes—the habits of mind—that will allow us to design a government where we and future generations can flourish.
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