Freedom
A sociological analysis of the concept of freedom in modern society.
This is an impressive and well-argued book. Bauman is concerned to show generally how the content of what it means to think of ourselves as free gets fixed by actual social conditions and, specifically, what ‘freedom’ actually means in the consumer-oriented culture of today. Provocative, unpretentious, imaginative; a good read.
Ethics
Most academic discussions of freedom approach it as either a philosophical concept, a legal principle or a tenet of political ideology. In this book, however, it is analysed as a social relation rather than as an idea or a postulate. Seen in this way, freedom reveals its relative-and relational-nature: throughout history, freedom was a privilege enjoyed in relation to either superior or weaker powers.
Freedom is a concept central to many of the social sciences, and this book, as a substantial contribution to the theory of contemporary society, will be of interest to teachers and students of a wide range of disciplines.
This is an impressive and well-argued book. Bauman is concerned to show generally how the content of what it means to think of ourselves as free gets fixed by actual social conditions and, specifically, what ‘freedom’ actually means in the consumer-oriented culture of today. Provocative, unpretentious, imaginative; a good read.
Ethics
