Abstract

Some philosophers conceive freedom as a state; others view it as an ideal. A songwriter sees it as a way of life: "Like a bird on a wire, like a drunk in a midnight choir, I have tried in my way to be free." The embattled statesman and the political idealist perceive causal links among personal freedoms, societal democracy, and global peace. In this cross-disciplinary volume, the contributors reassess and rephrase the conceptualizations and theorizations of freedom and their applicability to daily life. Framed by historical contexts, their field-specific studies help reconcile theory and practice. Their shared and unique ideational framework can be paraphrased in six words, a question mark, and a exclamation point: Freedom? Beware what you wish for