What Makes Us Truly Free?
What makes us truly free?
Freedom seems like something we'd recognize when we have it, yet throughout history, people have disagreed profoundly about what genuine freedom means. Is it simply the absence of external constraints, or does it require something more? Can we be free while living within systems of rules, obligations, and relationships that limit our choices? And what about the invisible barriers like economic pressures, social expectations, and our own fears and habits that shape what we think we want?
The question grows more urgent when we consider how differently freedom is experienced across society. What feels like freedom to one person might feel like chaos or abandonment to another. Some find freedom through discipline and structure, while others experience it only in spontaneity. This raises deeper questions about whether freedom is individual or collective, and whether we can be truly free if others around us are not.
Our conversation will explore:
Is freedom about having choices or making meaningful ones?
What's the relationship between individual freedom and collective responsibility?
Can we be free if we're shaped by forces we don't fully understand?
What does it take to create conditions where everyone can be free?
What Makes Us Truly Free?
What makes us truly free?
Freedom seems like something we'd recognize when we have it, yet throughout history, people have disagreed profoundly about what genuine freedom means. Is it simply the absence of external constraints, or does it require something more? Can we be free while living within systems of rules, obligations, and relationships that limit our choices? And what about the invisible barriers like economic pressures, social expectations, and our own fears and habits that shape what we think we want?
The question grows more urgent when we consider how differently freedom is experienced across society. What feels like freedom to one person might feel like chaos or abandonment to another. Some find freedom through discipline and structure, while others experience it only in spontaneity. This raises deeper questions about whether freedom is individual or collective, and whether we can be truly free if others around us are not.
Our conversation will explore:
Is freedom about having choices or making meaningful ones?
What's the relationship between individual freedom and collective responsibility?
Can we be free if we're shaped by forces we don't fully understand?
What does it take to create conditions where everyone can be free?
What makes us truly free?
Freedom seems like something we'd recognize when we have it, yet throughout history, people have disagreed profoundly about what genuine freedom means. Is it simply the absence of external constraints, or does it require something more? Can we be free while living within systems of rules, obligations, and relationships that limit our choices? And what about the invisible barriers like economic pressures, social expectations, and our own fears and habits that shape what we think we want?
The question grows more urgent when we consider how differently freedom is experienced across society. What feels like freedom to one person might feel like chaos or abandonment to another. Some find freedom through discipline and structure, while others experience it only in spontaneity. This raises deeper questions about whether freedom is individual or collective, and whether we can be truly free if others around us are not.
Our conversation will explore:
Is freedom about having choices or making meaningful ones?
What's the relationship between individual freedom and collective responsibility?
Can we be free if we're shaped by forces we don't fully understand?
What does it take to create conditions where everyone can be free?
Conversation Catalysts
At Premise, a Conversation Catalyst is a short story, essay, film, or poem that sparks reflection and connection. It’s the shared reference point that grounds each session and opens the door to meaningful and deep conversation.
"The Black Ball" , a short story by Ralph Ellison
On Freedom by Timothy Snyder (Introduction & Sovereignty chapters)
Preparation: < 1.5 hours
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We explore how personal history and philosophical reflection reveal the bodily and social dimensions of freedom.
"The Black Ball" by Ralph Ellison
Ellison's story follows a Black janitor in the Jim Crow South navigating the narrow spaces available to him while trying to protect his young son's innocence. Through a single day's encounters with his curious child, his white employer, and a union organizer, the protagonist reveals how unfreedom shapes every choice, from the words he speaks to the dreams he allows himself.
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"The Black Ball" , a short story by Ralph Ellison
On Freedom by Timothy Snyder (Introduction & Sovereignty chapters)
Preparation: < 1.5 hours
We explore how personal history and philosophical reflection reveal the bodily and social dimensions of freedom.
"The Black Ball" by Ralph Ellison
Ellison's story follows a Black janitor in the Jim Crow South navigating the narrow spaces available to him while trying to protect his young son's innocence. Through a single day's encounters with his curious child, his white employer, and a union organizer, the protagonist reveals how unfreedom shapes every choice, from the words he speaks to the dreams he allows himself.
Conversation Catalysts
At Premise, a Conversation Catalyst is a short story, essay, film, or poem that sparks reflection and connection. It’s the shared reference point that grounds each session and opens the door to meaningful and deep conversation.
"The Black Ball" , a short story by Ralph Ellison
On Freedom by Timothy Snyder (Introduction & Sovereignty chapters)
Text Set A
Preparation: < 1.5 hours
Session Description
We explore how personal history and philosophical reflection reveal the bodily and social dimensions of freedom.
"The Black Ball" by Ralph Ellison
Ellison's story follows a Black janitor in the Jim Crow South navigating the narrow spaces available to him while trying to protect his young son's innocence. Through a single day's encounters with his curious child, his white employer, and a union organizer, the protagonist reveals how unfreedom shapes every choice, from the words he speaks to the dreams he allows himself.
The story illuminates freedom's complexity through lived experience rather than abstract principle. Ellison asks: How do we exercise agency within systems designed to deny it? What does freedom mean for a parent who must teach their child to navigate a hostile world? Can collective action create freedom, or does it simply exchange one set of constraints for another?.
On Freedom by Timothy Snyder (Selected Chapters: Introduction & Sovereignty chapters)
In this session, we turn to Timothy Snyder’s On Freedom, reading the Introduction and the chapter "Sovereignty". Snyder argues that freedom is not just a personal feeling but a skill we develop—one rooted in attention, independent thinking, and the ability to choose rather than be swept along by habit, convenience, or outside influence.
The Introduction lays out his central idea: in an age shaped by technology, speed, and distraction, freedom requires deliberate effort. Sovereignty then challenges us to ask who actually directs our choices—do we act for ourselves, or do we unconsciously hand over control to platforms, institutions, or pressures around us?
These chapters invite us to reflect on what genuine freedom looks like today, how easily we give pieces of it away, and how we might reclaim a more active role in shaping our own lives..
Snyder asks: How does seeing others as bodies rather than objects change our understanding of freedom? Why does genuine freedom require empathy and acknowledgment of others? What's the relationship between our physical vulnerability and our capacity for freedom?
Text Set A
Preparation: < 1.5 hours
Session Description
We explore how personal history and philosophical reflection reveal the bodily and social dimensions of freedom.
"The Black Ball" by Ralph Ellison
Ellison's story follows a Black janitor in the Jim Crow South navigating the narrow spaces available to him while trying to protect his young son's innocence. Through a single day's encounters with his curious child, his white employer, and a union organizer, the protagonist reveals how unfreedom shapes every choice, from the words he speaks to the dreams he allows himself.
The story illuminates freedom's complexity through lived experience rather than abstract principle. Ellison asks: How do we exercise agency within systems designed to deny it? What does freedom mean for a parent who must teach their child to navigate a hostile world? Can collective action create freedom, or does it simply exchange one set of constraints for another?.
On Freedom by Timothy Snyder (Selected Chapters: Introduction & Sovereignty chapters)
In this session, we turn to Timothy Snyder’s On Freedom, reading the Introduction and the chapter "Sovereignty". Snyder argues that freedom is not just a personal feeling but a skill we develop—one rooted in attention, independent thinking, and the ability to choose rather than be swept along by habit, convenience, or outside influence.
The Introduction lays out his central idea: in an age shaped by technology, speed, and distraction, freedom requires deliberate effort. Sovereignty then challenges us to ask who actually directs our choices—do we act for ourselves, or do we unconsciously hand over control to platforms, institutions, or pressures around us?
These chapters invite us to reflect on what genuine freedom looks like today, how easily we give pieces of it away, and how we might reclaim a more active role in shaping our own lives..
Snyder asks: How does seeing others as bodies rather than objects change our understanding of freedom? Why does genuine freedom require empathy and acknowledgment of others? What's the relationship between our physical vulnerability and our capacity for freedom?
Conversation Catalysts
At Premise, a Conversation Catalyst is a short story, essay, film, or poem that sparks reflection and connection. It’s the shared reference point that grounds each session and opens the door to meaningful and deep conversation.
More conversation catalysts coming soon!
Text Set B
Preparation: < 1.5 hours
Session Description
At Premise, we’re always growing. Our sessions are shaped not only by the enduring questions we ask but also by the ideas and contributions of our participants and Chapter Leaders. We are a constructivist learning community, which means we build our learning experiences together.
More text sets for this question are on the way. Each one will follow our approach: short enough to prepare in under three hours, substantial and thought-provoking enough to spark deep discussion, and accessible to a wide audience.
In the meantime, we’d love to hear from you. If you have a suggestion for a story, essay, film, or poem that belongs here, please share it in the section below.
Text Set A
Preparation: < 1.5 hours
Session Description
We explore how personal history and philosophical reflection reveal the bodily and social dimensions of freedom.
"The Black Ball" by Ralph Ellison
Ellison's story follows a Black janitor in the Jim Crow South navigating the narrow spaces available to him while trying to protect his young son's innocence. Through a single day's encounters with his curious child, his white employer, and a union organizer, the protagonist reveals how unfreedom shapes every choice, from the words he speaks to the dreams he allows himself.
The story illuminates freedom's complexity through lived experience rather than abstract principle. Ellison asks: How do we exercise agency within systems designed to deny it? What does freedom mean for a parent who must teach their child to navigate a hostile world? Can collective action create freedom, or does it simply exchange one set of constraints for another?.
On Freedom by Timothy Snyder (Selected Chapters: Introduction & Sovereignty chapters)
In this session, we turn to Timothy Snyder’s On Freedom, reading the Introduction and the chapter "Sovereignty". Snyder argues that freedom is not just a personal feeling but a skill we develop—one rooted in attention, independent thinking, and the ability to choose rather than be swept along by habit, convenience, or outside influence.
The Introduction lays out his central idea: in an age shaped by technology, speed, and distraction, freedom requires deliberate effort. Sovereignty then challenges us to ask who actually directs our choices—do we act for ourselves, or do we unconsciously hand over control to platforms, institutions, or pressures around us?
These chapters invite us to reflect on what genuine freedom looks like today, how easily we give pieces of it away, and how we might reclaim a more active role in shaping our own lives..
Snyder asks: How does seeing others as bodies rather than objects change our understanding of freedom? Why does genuine freedom require empathy and acknowledgment of others? What's the relationship between our physical vulnerability and our capacity for freedom?