Freedom
E-book, Czech
Freedom
On the Meaning of Freedom in the Modern World
The fundamental cause of the current political crises in Western democracies is a misunderstanding of freedom. Freedom is conceived negatively, as the absence of state power: we feel free when we can say and do whatever we please, and avoid the influence of the government. True freedom, however, has a positive character; it is freedom for something: the freedom to develop and to bet on the future together. Freedom is the value that makes all other values possible.
In his new book, Timothy Snyder develops the ideas of F. Fanon, V. Havel, L. Kołakowski, E. Stein, and S. Weil. The book primarily seeks to answer the question: What attitudes and practical steps will allow us to form the type of state in which we and future generations can flourish? Snyder's interpretation teaches us to appreciate the importance of traditions championed by the right, as well as the role of state institutions advocated by the left, and outlines a path to a new political consensus. The book is a brilliant examination of the theme of freedom in the contemporary world.
Timothy Snyder
Timothy Snyder (1969) is a professor of history at Yale University. He is the author of a book-length interview with historian Tony Judt, Thinking the Twentieth Century (2012). His books on the turbulent history of Central and Eastern Europe, Bloodlands (Paseka/PROSTOR 2013) and Black Earth (Paseka/PROSTOR 2015), became exceptional events in 20th-century historiography and international bestsellers. On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century (Paseka/PROSTOR 2017), a call for civic engagement in the face of the crisis of democracy, attracted extraordinary attention.
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