Judy Lockyer, English Professor emerita, Albion College
Wednesdays, 10:00 am—Noon. October 7, 14, 21, 28. Class size unlimited.
In his new book On Freedom, historian Timothy Snyder builds a vibrant, richly supported case for understanding freedom as about “what we value and bringing it to life.” What does that mean?
Snyder begins with an analysis of the negative principle that freedom exists in the universe and can be achieved simply by removing restrictions. The idea that wars, including the American Revolution, are fought for freedom does not establish freedom. When we believe that freedom is given to us, we let its possibility go from our lives and our minds. If the Revolution freed us from taxation without representation, how do we understand the current state of American democracy? The fact that truth and facts are now fragile realities in much of American culture is enough to make me despair, but Synder’s argument is compelling and empowering.
Snyder includes memories of his childhood and his experiences parenting his own children, and he connects those to his scholarship and teaching of 20th c. American and eastern European history. He relates philosophical principles to his conversations with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy before and during the Russian invasion. The result is a book that expands and deepens our understanding of freedom as an achievable positive reality.
We will meet four times for two hours each to talk about the five forms of freedom that Snyder argues can bring us constructive and valuable ways forward. Recommended Book: On Freedom by Timothy Snyder (available in paperback for $13).