On Freedom: The instant New York Times bestseller - Softcover

Snyder, Timothy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1847928064 ISBN 13: 9781847928061

Publisher: Bodley Head, 2024

Synopsis

** THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ** A WATERSTONES BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR **

'Visionary ... buy or borrow this book, read it, take it to heart' OBSERVER
‘Everyone who cares about freedom should read this book’ ANNE APPLEBAUM
‘Passionate, intimate, compelling – a clarion call’ PHILIPPE SANDS

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

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

*New York Times bestseller list, 6 Oct 24*.

About this title

About the Author

Timothy Snyder is Levin Professor of History at Yale University and the author of fifteen critically acclaimed and internationally bestselling books including The Road to Unfreedom, On Tyranny and most recently Our Malady.

His previous books include Black Earth, which was longlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize and won the annual prize of the Dutch Auschwitz Committee; and Bloodlands, which won the Hannah Arendt Prize, the Leipzig Book Prize for European Understanding, the Ralph Waldo Emerson Award in the Humanities and the literature award of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

He lives in New Haven, Connecticut.

From the Back Cover

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.

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

Edition details

• Publisher: Bodley Head
• Publication date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1847928064
• ISBN 13: 9781847928061
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 368