On Freedom

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.