Freedom from Reality

The Diabolical Character of Modern Liberty

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Ethics & Moral Philosophy, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Politics, History & Theory
Cover of the book Freedom from Reality by D. C. Schindler, University of Notre Dame Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: D. C. Schindler ISBN: 9780268102647
Publisher: University of Notre Dame Press Publication: December 15, 2017
Imprint: University of Notre Dame Press Language: English
Author: D. C. Schindler
ISBN: 9780268102647
Publisher: University of Notre Dame Press
Publication: December 15, 2017
Imprint: University of Notre Dame Press
Language: English

It is commonly observed that behind many of the political and cultural issues that we face today there are impoverished conceptions of freedom, which, according to D. C. Schindler, we have inherited from the classical liberal tradition without a sufficient awareness of its implications. Freedom from Reality presents a critique of the deceptive and ultimately self-subverting character of the modern notion of freedom, retrieving an alternative view through a new interpretation of the ancient tradition. While many have critiqued the inadequacy of identifying freedom with arbitrary choice, this book seeks to penetrate to the metaphysical roots of the modern conception by going back, through an etymological study, to the original sense of freedom.

Schindler begins by uncovering a contradiction in John Locke’s seminal account of human freedom. Rather than dismissing it as a mere “academic” problem, Schindler takes this contradiction as a key to understanding the strange paradoxes that abound in the contemporary values and institutions founded on the modern notion of liberty: the very mechanisms that intend to protect modern freedom render it empty and ineffectual. In this respect, modern liberty is “diabolical”—a word that means, at its roots, that which “drives apart” and so subverts. This is contrasted with the “symbolical” (a “joining-together”), which, he suggests, most basically characterizes the premodern sense of reality. This book will appeal to students and scholars of political philosophy (especially political theorists), philosophers in the continental or historical traditions, and cultural critics with a philosophical bent.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

It is commonly observed that behind many of the political and cultural issues that we face today there are impoverished conceptions of freedom, which, according to D. C. Schindler, we have inherited from the classical liberal tradition without a sufficient awareness of its implications. Freedom from Reality presents a critique of the deceptive and ultimately self-subverting character of the modern notion of freedom, retrieving an alternative view through a new interpretation of the ancient tradition. While many have critiqued the inadequacy of identifying freedom with arbitrary choice, this book seeks to penetrate to the metaphysical roots of the modern conception by going back, through an etymological study, to the original sense of freedom.

Schindler begins by uncovering a contradiction in John Locke’s seminal account of human freedom. Rather than dismissing it as a mere “academic” problem, Schindler takes this contradiction as a key to understanding the strange paradoxes that abound in the contemporary values and institutions founded on the modern notion of liberty: the very mechanisms that intend to protect modern freedom render it empty and ineffectual. In this respect, modern liberty is “diabolical”—a word that means, at its roots, that which “drives apart” and so subverts. This is contrasted with the “symbolical” (a “joining-together”), which, he suggests, most basically characterizes the premodern sense of reality. This book will appeal to students and scholars of political philosophy (especially political theorists), philosophers in the continental or historical traditions, and cultural critics with a philosophical bent.

More books from University of Notre Dame Press

Cover of the book Abandoned Tracks by D. C. Schindler
Cover of the book The Pocket-Size God by D. C. Schindler
Cover of the book Colin Powell by D. C. Schindler
Cover of the book Cement, Earthworms, and Cheese Factories by D. C. Schindler
Cover of the book Milton and Catholicism by D. C. Schindler
Cover of the book Performance and Religion in Early Modern England by D. C. Schindler
Cover of the book The Quality of Democracy by D. C. Schindler
Cover of the book Aquinas on Matter and Form and the Elements by D. C. Schindler
Cover of the book Juan de Segovia and the Fight for Peace by D. C. Schindler
Cover of the book With All Your Mind by D. C. Schindler
Cover of the book The Golden Cord by D. C. Schindler
Cover of the book Creation as Emanation by D. C. Schindler
Cover of the book Secularization without End by D. C. Schindler
Cover of the book Indigenous Languages, Politics, and Authority in Latin America by D. C. Schindler
Cover of the book Indecent Liberties by D. C. Schindler
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy