Freedom: Freedom in the Making of Western Culture

by Orlando Patterson

Book Overview

This magisterial work traces the history of our most cherished value. Patterson links the birth of freedom in primitive societies with the institution of slavery, and traces the evolution of three... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0465025358
• ISBN13: 9780465025350
• Release Date: July 1991
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Length: 487 Pages
• Weight: 1.90 lbs.

Customer Reviews

From Slavery... Freedom

Patterson, a Harvard Professor who made his bones writing about slavery in the New World, turns his focus to the roots of the "value complex" we Americans call "freedom". Although this is volume one of a two volume set, the author himself refers to the second volume as a "footnote" in the history of freedom. Patterson discusses four different time periods and their impact on the development of freedom. First, the Greeks, next, the Romans, third, Christianity and fourth The Middle Ages. Cabining his discussion of all four time periods are two guiding precepts. FIrst, that western freedom consists of three constituent elements which combine to make Western freedom "chordal". The elements are sovereignal, civic and personal freedom. Patterson goes to great length to demonstrate that while modern thinkers (post enlightenement) equate "freedom" with personal and civic freedom, the type of freedom most people were familiar with back in the day was, in fact, "sovereignal" freedom, which can be described as "freedom through absolute devotion to a god/king/emperor/leader" through which the followers remain free. The second main insight is that a "slave society" is a pre condition for the development of freedom. In other words, freedom developed from the yearnings of slaves to escape bondage. In that way, freedom, the west's greatest achievment is bound up in the unspeakable evil of slavery. I found that particular insight illuminating. Worthy of a read, although it takes a while to muddle through. Patterson is fond of both the academic "we" and citing extensively from specialist scholars. On the whole a worthwhile investment of time. Extensively footnoted for follow up reading

A fascinating and inspiring work from an unlikely source.

Who would have thought that a Marxist sociologist at Harvard could write a profoundly moving account of the history of freedom? Patterson delivers a highly readable account of the "three chords of freedom" as they evolved in the ancient world, were crushed during the Roman empire, and were reborn and spread worldwide by history's first freedom-centered religion, Christianity. The book has just two small flaws: the author's frequent references to rusty Marxist notions of class struggle, and the sketchy and incomplete character of the final chapters and conclusion. Still, it is a marvelous read. I for once can hardly wait for volume 2, expected in 1999.