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The Conclusion of On Freedom begins with “Awakening,” in which Snyder describes writing the chapter while visiting Ukraine. He gives a history of the region and describes the destruction of the Russian invasion. “Geometry” expands on Snyder’s concept of the fifth dimension, where virtues exist, the space that defines what ought to be. He describes five rules regarding virtues. The first is difference, that virtues exist outside of the physical world. The second is plurality, that there are many virtues. The third is intransitivity, that the virtues cannot be reduced or ranked. The fourth is tension, that the virtues sometimes work against one another. The fifth is combinability, that people can find ways to combine the virtues. “Individuals” states that the five forms of freedom are necessary for the individual, but also exist due to the government. Institutions and social programs encourage and facilitate the various types of freedom.

“Divisions” explains that the political divide has been accelerated by the collapse of local news, the influence of social media, and the rise of oligarchs. Neither the Right nor the Left have good answers to the many problems the divide creates. Snyder advocates that people should place freedom first (as a liberal), regard freedom as a collection of values (as a conservative), and push for structures and institutions that support values (as a socialist). “Democrats” explains that meaningful, unmonetized elections will yield the best results going forward. “Voters” argues that everyone should have an equal vote, including convicted felons and people who live in Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. Allowing any form of voter suppression turns voting from a right into a privilege, which is a step down the path to voting as a meaningless ritual. “Republicans” argues against the idea that private funding of election campaigns is a form of free speech. Freedom of speech is necessary to challenge the powerful (i.e., the wealthy).

“Historians” states that people need to learn more from history, not shy away from difficult topics that some states have banned from public education. By understanding what the Founders knew and intended, we can produce a better form of government in the future.

“Children” argues that for the success of future generations, America needs to address wealth inequality, racism, and climate disaster. This includes removing all subsidies and access to federal lands for fossil fuel production. “Sovereigns” argues in favor of adding a right to vote, a “right to one’s mind,” and a right to healthcare as part of the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The right to one’s mind refers to the effects of social media on young minds. “Parents” reiterates the need for healthcare as well as maternity/paternity leave, public childcare, and paid sick days, as found in other developed nations. “Movers” states the necessity for better public transportation (rail lines) between and within cities to increase opportunities for all Americans, but especially future generations.

“Workers” advocates for a labor market that focuses on human workers, the support of labor unions, and the enforcement of existing anti-monopoly laws. “Prisoners” states that private prisons incentivize incarceration. While the crime rate, violent crime rate, and murder rates have been declining since 1991, incarceration rates have increased. America should invest in its youth, with the goal of having fewer prisons and fewer incarcerated people. “Distributions” further addresses America’s income inequality problem. Taxes should be raised on the wealthy, and tax fraud and evasion should be punished. The budget issues in America are less about government spending and more of an issue of wealthy people avoiding taxes.

“Minds” starts with recommendations that people should limit their screen time. Screens should only be in front of school children when they are learning to code. Even the Silicon Valley elites limit the screen time of their children and insist they attend school in person (as opposed to online or digital education). Snyder also suggests a list of changes for social media to make it more transparent to the user and make the personal data of users less transparent for social media companies. “Listeners” reiterates the components necessary for free speech but also adds receptive listeners to the list. Snyder also advocates for settings on social media that would include local journalism in the content feed (and would provide compensation for local journalists). “News” reiterates the necessity of facts (factuality) for freedom. Government subsidies should be created so that every county has a news publication, public schools should teach reporting, and college graduates should be offered public service credits for serving as reporters.

In “Rings,” Snyder returns to his memory on the farm in 1976 (from the Introduction). He lists all the people and institutions that created a childhood of freedom and reiterates the need to understand the past. “Grasp” describes when Snyder rung the bell on the farm in 1976 and expands the activity to a scientific view of humanity’s place in the universe. “Inclusion” reiterates the need for universal freedom in America, citing the number of incarcerated Black men as an example of oppression. Snyder states that there are more people with life sentences in prison currently than there were total people in prison when he was born. In the final vignette, “Chance,” Snyder talks about his children and his hopes for their future. He ends the book with optimism, that we can solve the current problems and forge a better future: “We can seize our chance. It is our last one, but it is a good one.”

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