★Philosopher Jean-Pierre Wils rethinks freedom: as the ability to live in a manageable place for good
★Five elementary tasks giving hope for a humane future

The situation in our society is precarious. The ecological shocks are omnipresent. The mere continuation of our lifestyles fixated on expansion and self-development has long since reached its limits. As if intoxicated by ourselves, we consume our world voraciously and without restraint. We need moderation and frugality that lead us out of the ecological and social dead ends and hold both the individual and Politics to account. We are by no means powerless and are perfectly capable of leading a life that offers prospects for a humane future. However, our idea of freedom needs urgent correction. For this endeavour to succeed, we need the courage to face reality and the willingness, in a spirit of solidarity, to say goodbye to a false life and join the alliance of renunciation and freedom.
Then we will be free – differently and better.

Jean-Pierre Wils is one of the most influential philosophers in the German-speaking world. He studied philosophy and theology in Leuven (Belgium) and Tübingen, and lectures in Philosophical Ethics and the Philosophy of Culture at Radboud University in Nijmegen (Netherlands). Since 2021, he has been the publisher of "Crossroads. Texts for Scepticism and Critique" at Hirzel. In 2022, Hirzel also published his book "Der Große Riss" ("The Great Rift. How society drifts apart and how to counter it") and in the spring of 2023 "Warum wir Trost brauchen" ("Why We Need Comfort").