A Less Shocking Present, a More Open Future

Timothy Snyder published On Tyranny in 2017 partly as a response to the 2016 US Presidential election. It’s real good. When he released On Freedom this fall, the title and timing had me expecting a book of similar scope. The truth is, Snyder’s latest work is way more ambitious.

It’s hardly a surprise that a history professor would build so much of his argument around stories of past movements. What caught me off guard, though, was how he reached beyond his bailiwick (eastern Europe) to include reflection on American history–a subject which doesn’t generally hold his interest. He also leans way more heavily on philosophical thought than in his previous work, distancing the book from the “political science” designation ascribed by the publisher. Snyder even draws from personal history. While he drew from personal experience in Our Malady, his writing feels way more intimate here because it includes stories from his childhood and adolescence¹.

The author hangs those themes on a simple structure: freedom defined in terms of five facets (sovereignty, mobility, unpredictability, factuality, and solidarity). He further demonstrates the coherence of his thoughts in the way his references build on one another² and the core concepts stack³. The chapters function almost like textbook modules with each extending arguments introduced earlier. The analogy to academia ends there, though, since Snyder’s writing captivates in a way that no grade school tome ever did. His prose is tight and shot through with a familiar quiet conviction. Thankfully, he also retains his biting sense of humor, deployed as judiciously as ever.

One form of oligarchal escape is from time: the dream of some that they will liver forever. […] Everyone has a right to life, though, not just the very wealthy. […] Wealthy Americans who want to lengthen life have options ready in hand. They can invest in hygiene and vaccinations (as the Gates Foundation does) or in small nonprofits that improve the quality of life (as MacKenzie Scott does). The simplest way for the wealthy to extend the lives of their fellow Americans would be to pay their fair share of taxes. Most don’t; a good government, one legitimated by freedom, would ensure that they did. Giving 330 million Americans five more years of freedom is a nicer prospect than giving three billionaires a million years of anxiety. It also has the virtue of being possible.

Snyder combines historical context, personal anecdote, and philosophy review to form a nuanced, layered definition of freedom. A kind of freedom lasagna, if you will. In the book’s conclusion, he demonstrates the utility of such a delicious intellectual casserole by using it to criticize current domestic affairs and to propose effective reform. The scope of the analysis which flows from this definition of freedom⁴ makes the book feel like a sturdy framework for evaluating public policy.

Following the results of the 2024 election, though, it can feel like we’ve collectively lost the luxury of nuanced political discourse. On Tyranny seems more apropos in that sense. Then again, it’s not as though Snyder published On Freedom in denial that a Constitution-hating presence might occupy the White House in 2025; the man has been stressing the hazard for years. He nonetheless published On Freedom for the current moment, and that sends a strong message for active engagement rather than the defensive posture of On Tyranny. The point, today, is for individuals to engage with their peers, prove that they share the same values, and demand that their representatives act accordingly. On Freedom makes these conversations seem not just essential, but possible.