You Don't Own Me

The essays in You Don't Own Me: Individualism and the Culture of Liberty explore how the idea of individual freedom has shaped not only politics and economics but also the arts—from pop music to poetry, from “Star Trek” to the blues, and from Western novels to architecture

The idea of individual liberty has had enormous influence in politics, economics, and religion, but its influence on the arts has also been immense. From pop music to film—from the poetry of John Milton to Star Trek and the novels of Zora Neale Hurston—individualism has had a cultural impact both pervasive and profound. In You Don’t Own Me: Individualism and the Culture of Liberty, Timothy Sandefur examines how people in America and Europe have addressed the unique experience of personal freedom in movies, songs, and even architecture. “Individual self-sovereignty,” writes Sandefur, “has not only unleashed unprecedented economic and political progress. It has also given rise to a new kind of culture, one that celebrates autonomy and the freedom to make one’s own choices.”