What does it mean to be free? Quentin Skinner’s latest book explores liberty’s shifting ideals

What does it truly mean to be free? A new book by Professor Quentin Skinner, Liberty as Independence: The Making and Unmaking of a Political Ideal, explores how different societies have understood liberty across history, from the classical world to the present day.

Published by Cambridge University Press last month, the book examines the long-standing debate between two competing visions of freedom: one that defines liberty as independence from arbitrary power, and another that views it as the absence of restraint. Professor Skinner, Emeritus Professor of Humanities at Queen Mary University of London, argues that the former was the dominant ideal from ancient Rome through the Age of Revolutions until it was overturned in the 18th century by those who opposed radical movements for democracy and equality.

"My aim in this book is to recover a way of thinking about liberty that was once central to political thought but has since been largely displaced," said Professor Skinner. "Understanding how this shift occurred, and what was lost in the process, is crucial if we want to rethink the meaning of freedom today."

The book also explores the global dimensions of this debate, considering how ideas of liberty were central to discussions on slavery and women’s rights. Professor Skinner makes the case for reviving the idea of liberty as independence in contemporary political thought, highlighting its potential to reshape discussions on democracy, power, and justice.

The book has received widespread praise from leading scholars. Professor David Armitage (Harvard University) calls it a "magisterial account of the anti-democratic and counter-revolutionary displacement of liberty as self-rule," while Professor Hannah Dawson (King’s College London) describes it as "spectacular," adding that Skinner "casts a chilling shadow over our current liberal dispensation."

Professor Skinner has been based at Queen Mary University of London since 2008 and is internationally recognised for his work on the history of political thought, particularly in relation to republicanism and the development of key political concepts.

Liberty as Independence: The Making and Unmaking of a Political Ideal is available now from Cambridge University Press.