On Freedom

De: Timothy Snyder

Narrado por: Timothy Snyder

Brought to you by Penguin.

From the acclaimed, bestselling author of On Tyranny comes a brilliant exploration of freedom – what it is, how it’s been misunderstood, and why it’s our only chance for survival.

Freedom is our great commitment, but we have lost sight of what it means – 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. 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.

Drawing on the work of philosophers and political dissidents, conversations with contemporary thinkers and his own experiences, Snyder identifies the practices and attitudes that will allow us to design a government in which we and future generations can flourish. Intimate yet ambitious, this book forges a new consensus rooted in a politics of abundance, generosity and grace.

On Tyranny inspired millions around the world to fight for freedom; On Freedom helps us see exactly what we’re fighting for. It is a thrilling intellectual journey and a tour de force of political philosophy.

‘In these hard times for liberty, On Freedom makes the case that freedom, once explored and understood, is the way forward’ PRESIDENT ZELENSKY

‘Everyone who cares about freedom should read this book’ ANNE APPLEBAUM

‘Passionate, intimate, compelling – a clarion call’ PHILIPPE SANDS

© Timothy Snyder 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024

Reseñas de la Crítica

On Freedom is … penetrating in its analysis of our current crises…and clear in its prescriptions for change … This is a rigorous and visionary argument … to his prescriptions for freedom you might add three more: buy or borrow this book, read it, take it to heart

Written with such panache that one cannot fail to be impressed by the author’s eloquence and learning … Profoundly humane

We hear of freedom, but do we grasp it? In these hard times for liberty, On Freedom offers a deep inquiry arising from a diversity of perspectives. It makes the case that freedom, once explored and understood, is the way forward to good government. We are all fortunate that Professor Snyder has shown us the way (President Volodymyr Zelens'kyi)

Invaluable ... intellectually rich, yet personal ... passionate (Martin Wolf)

Timothy Snyder is one of our most original and perceptive thinkers, on the history of Europe, on American politics, and now, on freedom. Everyone who cares about freedom - what it means and what it takes to preserve it - should read this book (Anne Applebaum)

There's nothing else like On Freedom. This time the acclaimed historian draws not just from global history but his own. The result is a wonderfully provocative and profoundly persuasive book. Snyder leads us away from our misconception that freedom is just the removal of what stands in our way and toward a project of liberty that, through active engagement and commitment to the common good, we can achieve together (J. J. Abrams)

A must-read. Timothy Snyder is one of the leading minds of our times. This new book draws from his work as an historian of central Europe, his travelling and moving encounters in Ukraine at war, and his thinking on how democracy, pluralism and wealth inequality will look like in 2076 United States and the world at large (Thomas Piketty)

Much like life itself, freedom needs to defined and redefined ... On Freedom offers fresh insight into essential aspects of human existence - the values and obligations inherent in every individual's life (Ai Weiwei)

A great and daring book … magnificent. Above all, Snyder’s insightful and powerful work reminds us that freedom is about humanity, and that creating a better world is up to us (Heather Cox Richardson)

Passionate, intimate, compelling - a clarion call for principle and commitment in a time of tumult and challenge (Philippe Sands)

Disappointing.

In this book, the author tackles a question of critical importance. Although I disagree with the framing of freedom as inherently "positive," many of the ideas presented hold significant merit. My main issue lies with the potential risks and side effects these ideas may have when understood as elements of freedom. Despite this, the book could have been great, as all five concepts discussed are crucial to human flourishing. The real question is: how do we achieve them?

Unfortunately, the book doesn't delve into that. Instead, the author offers limited discussion, seeming to already know the answers: more government intervention, recognizing inherent racism, expanding the welfare state, and addressing social inequities. The solutions repeat a cycle—government, racism, and welfare—interspersed with proposals like childcare, free meals, closing prisons, taxing the rich, and hoping for nuclear fusion before climate change destroys us by 2040.

While I respect the author as a distinguished historian of Eastern Europe with several excellent works, this book was an unbearable stream of amateurish nonsense. Thomas Sowell’s phrase comes to mind: for some intellectuals, venturing outside their area of expertise is like stepping off a cliff.