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: [email protected].

Other conversations with Timothy Snyder:

Kyiv, September 2022

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHksNrj7elQ&t=10s

https://soundcloud.com/user-579586558/ep-144

Kyiv, September 2023

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LkXsW14qJQ&t=724s

https://soundcloud.com/user-579586558/ep-258

Kharkiv, September 2024

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR0bqQy5gzA&t=9s

https://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