Freedom from the Known
1959
- self (philosophy)
- thought and thinking
- liberty
- life
- human beings
- philosophy
- conduct of life
- psychology
- essays
- ethics
The story
A masterpiece from Jiddu Krishnamurti on freedom. The author says about the chains in which the present man live, about his fears of the known and fear of the unknown. He employs a witty sarcasm at the way in which people are ready to accept the ideological tyranny of religious institutions when they are not ready to accept any kind of political dictatorship. Freedom from all the shackles that draw us backward from being a universal citizen - that is the core topic discussed in this book.
What it’s like
Dense but unhurried prose in the spoken-talk register of Krishnamurti's public talks, a voice that circles back on itself, asks the reader questions and waits for an answer, and rarely raises its tone. The page feels like a quiet room with a single lamp: no imagery to speak of, just long sentences that press on habits of thought until they loosen. Its mood is austere and clear-eyed, a bracing cool rather than warmth, with flashes of dry wit as it takes apart religious authority and political certainty alike. Reading it is a slow, reflective commitment, best done in short sittings with a notebook nearby, in the early morning or on a long train ride when the mind is restless. Its arc is interior: a reader moving from habitual fear toward a looser, more open attention to life. Intensity is nil; there is no violence, sex, or graphic content, only sustained, sometimes uncomfortable challenge to beliefs. It suits people who want philosophy that asks them to look at themselves directly, readers drawn to psychology, ethics, and questions of personal liberty, rather than those seeking consolation or narrative pull.
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