Short description
Presents the stories of Martin Luther, Mary Wollstonecraft and Rosa Parks, whose sacrifices make us value these precious rights, especially in an age when governments under pressure find it necessary to restrict rights in the name of freedom.
Long description
The often-violent conflicts of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries were sparked by the pursuit of freedom of thought. In time, this drive led to bitter fighting, including the English Civil War. Then came revolutions in America and France that swept away monarchies for more representative forms of government and making possible the abolition of slavery, the enfranchisement of women, and the idea of universal human rights and freedoms. Each of these struggles was a memorable human drama, and Grayling interweaves the stories of these heroes, including Martin Luther, Mary Wollstonecraft and Rosa Parks, whose sacrifices make us value these precious rights, especially in an age when governments under pressure find it necessary to restrict rights in the name of freedom.
Review
'A rollicking defence of Freedom and Enlightenment in the style of Tom Paine or William Godwin' Spectator 'The even-handed tone of philosophy professor AC Grayling's latest book does not lessen the intensity of its polemical content ... In describing the human cost of each victory over these forces, Grayling underlines the seriousness of today's threats to our liberties' Metro 'Grayling covers a huge historical and geographical span, he has done an impressive amount of reading, and he tells some fascinating stories' Independent on Sunday 'Grayling charts the progress of liberty from its modern roots in the Reformation through the end of absolute monarchy to contemporary conventions on human rights, pointing out every bloodstain on the way' Independent