The Tools of Freedom

What does it mean for humans to be free? That they can live entirely according to their own will? Is there such a thing as absolute freedom of will? And would it be desirable? Such questions confront us frequently in our lives: when we oppose restraints, when we are indecisive, when we try to find out to which degree someone is responsible for his or her actions. Philosophy has been dealing with these topics for a long time. Peter Bieri's book, however, is unusual in that the widest variety of answers to the question of free will are brought into the spotlight. In small, constantly shifting scenes he continues to entangle seemingly imperative concepts of freedom in contradictions – until they finally reveal the principles of true freedom. This freedom is not simply given to us but has to be earned, time and again. With the narrative verve of a critically-acclaimed novelist, Bieri demonstrates the advantages of precise thinking in a book that will definitely be enjoyed by non-philosophers, too.