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Chapter 4 opens with “Living Truth,” which explains that certain essential forms of knowledge (the sciences, history, etc.) will help people free themselves from the control and lies of the oligarchy. “Suns” further advocates for scientific study and specifically for the study of alternative forms of energy. “Fusion” gives a brief overview of atoms, molecules, and chemical reactions to support the statement that fusion is the original source of energy used by all living things on Earth. Harnessing fusion would create new opportunities and therefore more freedom. “Living Harmonies” describes how photons from the sun reach Earth and provide light and heat. Snyder states that understanding living harmonies (light from the sun, gravity, etc.) helps people liberate themselves.

In “Tiny Stars,” Snyder argues that fusion-based power plants are within our technological grasp and would provide clean abundant energy, instead of fossil fuels that are damaging the planet. He also points out that investment in fusion is one percent of the global subsidies for fossil fuels. “Extinction Spiral” compares Hitler’s discrediting of agricultural technologies to the current discrediting of climate change. Hitler offered racism and expansion as a solution, when irrigation and fertilizer would have solved Germany’s inability to feed itself. The United States has willfully ignored contributors to climate change that annually generate thousands of tons of carbon dioxide. Google searches and AI queries alone are responsible for a significant fraction of that. According to Snyder, the sadopopulists believe that poor minorities will suffer before they themselves will.

“Significant Roughness” defines the fourth type of freedom, factuality. Factuality is the need for truthfulness. While people should have differing values, if they have differing facts, then there can be no foundation for progress.

“Party Line” gives a brief history of the constantly changing stance of Stalin’s party, which operated under the big lie that the party was always correct—regarding peasants, allies, enemies, and ideologies. People who pointed out facts that contradicted the party’s opinions were sent to the Gulag. “Perfected Victims” explains that for the Nazis, instead of the party always being correct (as in Stalin’s Soviet Union), it was that Jews were always wrong. Then, any action taken against Jewish people in Germany or abroad was justified. In “America’s End,” Snyder describes Donald Trump’s claim in 2020 that he had won reelection, which led to the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2021. Snyder states that the lie and coup attempt were partially built on racism, since it operated on the idea that Black votes were not genuine votes. Any justification for Trump’s actions limit future democracy. In “Electing Dictators,” Snyder points out the problems in the current voting system of the United States and how candidates can be elected despite losing the popular vote, which goes against factuality.

In “Missing Reporters,” Snyder laments the downfall of local newspapers as a source of facts and values. Digital news sources rarely have reporting from local sources and are motivated by financial considerations. “Truth’s Horizon” ties the downfall of local newspapers and reporting to the success of social media, and with it, the preference of most people for information that feels correct, rather than for objective facts. Eternity politicians abuse this difference to pass legislation that negatively impacts public schools. “Flowing Fountain” argues for the importance of freedom of speech, which is a positive freedom that is often used to challenge tyranny. Snyder reminds the reader that in countries such as China, Russia, and Syria (which was still ruled by Bashar al-Assad at the time of Snyder’s writing), people are imprisoned or killed for speaking out.

“Powerful Lies” warns the reader to pay close attention to oligarchs and tyrants when they discuss free speech, for they are usually trying to undermine it. Snyder states the internet is almost devoid of human expression, and is instead filled with advertising and opinions of institutions and corporations. “Murderous Orders” adds to the definition of free speech. Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn an election and Putin’s claims that Ukraine was not a legitimate country are not examples of people exercising free speech. They lack humanity, truth, and risk. “Free Speakers” points out that the term free speech is often trivialized and misunderstood. Speech is never oppressed, people trying to speak are. Freedom of speech, then, involves the safety to express oneself, as well as the opportunity to learn. This includes access to journalism, education, and science.

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