02 April 2025

Freedom of the ancient kind

Peter Saint-Andre in Aristotle on Freedom:

Because war is for the sake of peace and work is for the sake of leisure, military and productive activities are secondary to more glorious pursuits like wisdom, learning, conversation, music, dancing, poetry, art, religious festivals, athletic games, and all the other pastimes we humans have created to celebrate life.

Emphasis mine.

I can abide a definition of freedom founded on this principle. And the conclusion, I think, very much offers an understanding of freedom that I think we'd all be better off if more people pursued.