Interabang Books will host author Timothy Snyder in-store on Saturday, October 26th with his book, On Freedom. This is a ticketed event, including access and a signed book.
Description
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 #1New York TimesbestsellerOn Tyranny
“Much like life itself, freedom needs to be 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
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 bookOn Tyrannyhas 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 freedomfromas freedomto—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 Freedomtakes 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.