Customer Reviews

Roots of Freedom : A Primer on Modern Liberty

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In Roots Of Freedom: A Primer On Modern Liberty, John Danford treats the reader to a comprehensive historical survey on the conception and evolution of the concept of political liberty. Beginning with its roots in ancient Greece and in Premodern Christianity, Danford continues with the emergence of Europe from feudalism, the Protestant Reformation, the contributions of science, political ambition and military conquest; Natural Rights and the Natural Condition; the relationship of property to liberty; commerce and liberty; the co-effected influences of wealth, cooperation, and liberty; prices and markets; American liberty; majority tyranny; free societies and the future. Roots Of Freedom is an enthusiastically recommended title for anyone concerned with the history, development, and defense of personal freedom and the political concept and economic consequences of liberty.

This work is a celebration of the western philosophical tradition. It is a must read for all those interested in the foundations of democratic theory. Danford skillfully and effortlessly guides the reader through several thousand years of philosophy, in a flowing and truncated exegesis, in an effort to reveal the threads, which form the tapestry of western freedom. He begins by asking two questions: Why have there been so few democracies throughout history and why are they short lived? As one reads the text it becomes clear that he offers these questions as a warning. If we fail to recognize and cherish the roots of our American political tradition as they are expressed through a study of the Ancients, the Christian tradition, the Reformation, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Hume and Adam Smith, we will lose sight of the dignity of the individual, the value of liberal education, the free market and limited government. Danford contends that although dangerous threats to our democratic tradition are already upon us, we can still preserve our democracy and the primacy of human dignity if we study the roots of our liberal tradition. The original question, however intriguing and important as it is, remains unanswered. Although Danford is optimistic that liberal education and a study of the classics will help to preserve democracy, the reader is left to wonder if this will be enough. Yes, the trend seems to lean toward democracy since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the demise of the Soviet menace, but communism is still viewed as a viable political system in China and North Korea and a possible collapse of the Russian economy could abruptly change the political climate. In an effort to celebrate our democratic tradition, Danford has not provided an adequate refutation of the alternatives. What this book does is stimulate reflection and inquiry into the richness of our western intellectual tradition. It asks that we become acquainted with our past so that we will value our future. Danford reminds us that to neglect the roots of freedom is to forget what made our nation great.

This is an excellent review of the philosophy of liberty and freedom. I highly recommend this book.

While driving up the Oregon coast and searching the radio for something other than country music, I came across a station on which several speakers were discussing topics such as John Locke, the Enlightenment, Thomas Jefferson, etc. I couldn't believe my luck. My first reaction was that I had stumbled across some kind of educational program like you might hear on public radio. I soon found out that was not the case. The host of the show was interviewing author John Danford, a political science professor at-- I believe-- Loyola University, who was discussing and promoting his book, "The Roots of Freedom". After listening to the two men talk for several minutes, it became apparent that they both strongly favored a conservative Republican/Christian point of view. The word "Freedom" was a key, and in their discussion they used the word quite frequently (not to mention trying interest people in joining something called the Freedom Club or Freedom Organization or whatever it was). Individual freedom is a wonderful thing, of course, but it's something that must always be balanced against social equality. Our democratic government was founded on the twin ideals of liberty and equality, but it is probably going to take centuries for us to figure out how to actually put them into practice-- just as in a previous Age it seemed to take Western Civilization about 1500 years to finally digest the revolutionary message of Jesus. When we do, it will not some kind of overly oppressive society obsessed with superficial self expression. It will be a true Society of Individuals. But again, that is far, far down the road. For right now, I just want to warn potential readers of "The Roots of Freedom" that behind the book's treatment of some profound, classical social-political-philosophical ideas, is just another person with a contemporary political bias.