Whose Freedom?

The Battle Over America's Most Important Idea

By: George Lakoff

Narrated by: George Lakoff

Freedom is one of the most contested words in our deeply polarized nation. This eye-opening work reveals how this has happened and how it will continue on all fronts, economic, education, healthcare, religion, science, civil justice, and security, unless we reframe the debate with traditional progressive ideas of empathy, integrity, and responsibility.

Engaged citizens can regain their power. Our government can function honestly. In this critical time for our country, Lakoff argues that it is possible for progressives to reclaim freedom and communicate effectively about its real meaning.

©2006 George Lakoff (P)2006 Audio Partners Publishing Corp.

Compelling and enlightening

Wow! I find this a potent and helpful view into the explanation for the different ways of reasoning of today's dominant conservative rhetoric versus classic liberal thought. All this time, I couldn't understand how my Republican associates "didn't get it" and refused to believe some very compelling fact about the ruling party's behavior and justifications. It all makes sense now.

A really insightful book

I personally lean more towards the right on a lot of things, president Trump in the 2016 election was the first election I was involved in as a young adult . That being said I wanted to take a step back and try and understand what issues Democrats valued and I was surprised to find that I agree with a lot of what said in this book. so thank you for opening my eyes to the other side of the party line

Important ideas to grapple with

No one will accuse George Lakoff of being a gifted writer, or narrator for that matter. Both his writing and his reading are just OK: workmanlike, successful, but not delightful.

However, as the subtitle suggests, the "idea of freedom" he is analyzing is important and I found the analysis compelling. Agree or disagree with Lakoff's conclusions, if you find the ideal of "freedom" or "liberty" important, you need to work your way through Lakoff's basic insights. At worst you will understand your own thinking better; at best you will have a genuinely useful new understanding.

Descriptions of conflicting perceptions provides clarity of the conflicts in our political discourse

The format of the book offers a manual on to how to make changes in our own understanding of opposing views, and apply those understandings to our own behaviors. It also clarifies for progressives like me the need for and manner of altering our own expression of the foundations of our political views in order to assert properly their value as opposition to those promoted by conservatives. An excellent book!

Fantastic

This book is an important read for anyone with progressive passions or ideals. You don’t have to be a left-winger to take away its valuable lessons on the American traditions of Freedom. However, those on the far-Christian-right and those fundamentalists of the Invisible Hand will no doubt be discouraged by its tone.

The author creates a fantastic, systematic analysis of conservative vs. progressive thought and maps it into cognitive science. The ideas in this book have rejuvenated my passion toward freedom and given me a solid basis for discussion of progressivism with others. For years, I’ve secretly challenged the contradictions and paradoxes of the populist Right, as I could never correctly deconstruct it. Now I understand – Freedom is more than markets; it requires rights, free-movement, and unobstructed access for all.