On Freedom

Snyder critiques digital algorithms as tools that narrow human unpredictability into “most probable states.” By capturing data and reinforcing predictable behaviors, algorithms undermine sovereignty and foster conformity. They function in the book as examples of how technology can erode freedom without overt coercion.

Borrowed from the history of Nazi propaganda and applied to contemporary politics, the “big lie” refers to a falsehood so large that it demands belief once violence is committed in its name. Snyder shows how Hitler’s antisemitic conspiracy and Trump’s election denial both functioned as big lies that reshaped institutions and generated unfreedom.

Edith Stein’s philosophical distinction structures Snyder’s first form of freedom, sovereignty. Körper refers to the body as object, while Leib refers to the lived, subjective body capable of agency and empathy. Recognizing others as Leib is essential for freedom, while reducing them to Körper enables dehumanization and manipulation.