Reviews
It helped me understand how Western views of freedom have changed.
What is freedom? Few words have so many meanings. This book shows how different our idea is from what the ancient Greeks meant. It is a philosophical definition, a history of freedom, and a humanistic study of how people understand it. A book with freedom as its main subject: Rather than recounting only great figures who fought for freedom, it explores this invisible concept—a fresh approach. From ancient Greece, where the concept was conceived, to the present, it traces changing thought
This book made me feel that freedom, one of the most basic things people should have, carries a much broader meaning. It begins with when the concept arose and how today’s understanding differs from the ancient one, then shows what people of each era argued through historical events. The author traces the story from ancient Greece and the Roman Republic through the Renaissance, American independence, France, and modern freedom, including debates during the French Restoration and in Germany,
The conditions freedom requires change with the times. I nodded at the statement that many Americans came to accept: ‘Without economic security and independence, true individual freedom cannot exist.’ People centuries ago would have heard it differently. As the book’s conclusion says, conflict is growing between ‘individual rights’ and ‘the will of the people.’ This book lays out stories worth considering as we think about freedom and rights. It explains what freedom is, how it has been
Freedom is an important word for judging quality of life, yet sometimes we treat it too lightly. We also apply different standards to our own and others’ freedom. We know—or may never have imagined—how many events, sacrifices, and efforts it took for everyone to have what ‘freedom’ means. We should take time to revisit and learn about them, little by little. I feel this is exactly the right time to read this book.
One movie I once enjoyed was Braveheart. In the final scene, as the protagonist William Wallace is executed, he roars, ‘Freedom!’ Ever since seeing it, the word’s weight has always felt heavy to me. These days, though, the word freedom coming from some people’s mouths feels unbearably light. This book leaves a deep impression of how desperately the people fought to win freedom.
Annelien de Dain: freedom
What is freedom, and how has the idea changed? This book examines in depth the freedom we enjoy today as a basic right. It traces how its meaning and value changed over more than 2,000 years in response to each era’s circumstances and political climate. The history of freedom was not simply an elevated debate among philosophers in ivory towers; it is a story of fierce political struggle in which many people were sacrificed. Different ideas of freedom arose and came into conflict. The book focuses on freedom as a political concept: What political system allows a free life, and what does a free country look like? The author asks these fundamental questions and examines how the answers have changed.
Korean title: 자유
Korean author: 안넬리엔 드 다인
Korean publisher: 북스힐
ISBN-13: 9791159715853
Reviews
It helped me understand how Western views of freedom have changed.
What is freedom? Few words have so many meanings. This book shows how different our idea is from what the ancient Greeks meant. It is a philosophical definition, a history of freedom, and a humanistic study of how people understand it. A book with freedom as its main subject: Rather than recounting only great figures who fought for freedom, it explores this invisible concept—a fresh approach. From ancient Greece, where the concept was conceived, to the present, it traces changing thought
This book made me feel that freedom, one of the most basic things people should have, carries a much broader meaning. It begins with when the concept arose and how today’s understanding differs from the ancient one, then shows what people of each era argued through historical events. The author traces the story from ancient Greece and the Roman Republic through the Renaissance, American independence, France, and modern freedom, including debates during the French Restoration and in Germany,
The conditions freedom requires change with the times. I nodded at the statement that many Americans came to accept: ‘Without economic security and independence, true individual freedom cannot exist.’ People centuries ago would have heard it differently. As the book’s conclusion says, conflict is growing between ‘individual rights’ and ‘the will of the people.’ This book lays out stories worth considering as we think about freedom and rights. It explains what freedom is, how it has been
Freedom is an important word for judging quality of life, yet sometimes we treat it too lightly. We also apply different standards to our own and others’ freedom. We know—or may never have imagined—how many events, sacrifices, and efforts it took for everyone to have what ‘freedom’ means. We should take time to revisit and learn about them, little by little. I feel this is exactly the right time to read this book.
One movie I once enjoyed was Braveheart. In the final scene, as the protagonist William Wallace is executed, he roars, ‘Freedom!’ Ever since seeing it, the word’s weight has always felt heavy to me. These days, though, the word freedom coming from some people’s mouths feels unbearably light. This book leaves a deep impression of how desperately the people fought to win freedom.
