Timothy Snyder came to Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, to present his book "On Freedom".
We have had several conversations about the ideas of this book before (in Kyiv and Kharkiv), and you can find links to the podcast episodes featuring these discussions in the description.
However, this was the first time we talked about this book after its publication.
We recorded this conversation on February 9, 2025, at the Sense bookstore on Khreshchatyk Street, in the heart of the Ukrainian capital, very close to Maidan.
Several hundred people attended, with many staying despite the lack of available seats. Most of them were young.
This demonstrates how important reading and critical thinking are for Ukrainians today.
Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko – Ukrainian philosopher, the chief editor of UkraineWorld, and the president of PEN Ukraine.
The Ukrainian translation of this book was done by Choven Publishing House (translator: Halyna Herasym), with the support of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine.
UkraineWorld (ukraineworld.org) is a multilingual media about Ukraine produced by Internews Ukraine, one of the country’s largest media NGOs.
Listen on various platforms: li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine
Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/ukraineworld – we offer exclusive content for our patrons.
You can also support our volunteer trips to the front lines via PayPal: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com.
Other conversations with Timothy Snyder:
Kyiv, September 2022
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHksNrj7elQ&t=10shttps://soundcloud.com/user-579586558/ep-144
Kyiv, September 2023
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LkXsW14qJQ&t=724shttps://soundcloud.com/user-579586558/ep-258
Kharkiv, September 2024
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR0bqQy5gzA&t=9shttps://soundcloud.com/user-579586558/snyder-kharkiv
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Contents:
01:54 - «I feel in Ukraine better than in most other places»
02:44 - being a historian who wrote a philosophy book
07:17 - What can the Ukrainian experience tell other nations about freedom?
12:45 - positive freedom (freedom-to) vs negative freedom (freedom-from). «Freedom isn’t just the absence of evil, but the presence of good»
15:44 - thinking about positive and negative freedom in America and Ukraine
20:30 - freedom and values
24:55 - freedom and sovereignty
32:47 - freedom and unpredictability
41:13 - the metaphor of the bell
45:07 - freedom during military occupation and de-occupation
50:30 - is history repeating itself?
1:00:00 - on social networks
1:11:50 - which values can unite Ukrainians during the war?
01:14:50 - rethinking Ukrainian history from the global perspective
On freedom: Timothy Snyder in Kyiv | Explaining Ukraine podcast - Listen or read transcript on Metacast
