What Does It Mean to be Human?: A New Interpretation of Freedom in World History

Where does freedom come from and where is it taking us? Is it truly an absence of constraint and therefore an enemy of authority? Alan T. Wood offers a new interpretation of freedom and authority that sees their relationship as complementary and not adversarial. His macroscopic view draws on the historical perspective of humankind’s shared experiences throughout the world. This book responds to the need to educate our children for responsible and compassionate global citizenship. It further provides a unifying theme for world history and outlines the basis for a new understanding of national sovereignty that could enhance cooperation among the countries of the world.

The Author: Alan T. Wood is Professor of History in the Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences program at the University of Washington, Bothell, where he has served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. He received his Ph.D. in Chinese history from the University of Washington. Dr. Wood has taught at Whitman College, as well as on two around-the-world voyages on Semester at Sea. He is the author of Limits to Autocracy: From Sung Neo-Confucianism to a Doctrine of Political Rights and co-author of World Civilizations.