The Age of Choice: A History of Freedom in Modern Life

Choice touches virtually every aspect of our lives, from what to buy and where to live to whom to love, what profession to practice, and even what to believe. But the option to choose in such matters was not something we always possessed or even aspired to. At the same time, we have been warned by everybody from marketing gurus to psychologists about the negative consequences stemming from our current obsession with choice. It turns out that not only are we not very good at realizing our personal desires, we are also overwhelmed with too many possibilities and anxious about what best to select. How did all this happen? The Age of Choice tells the long history of the invention of choice as the defining feature of modern freedom. Taking listeners from the seventeenth century to today, Sophia Rosenfeld describes how the early modern world witnessed the simultaneous rise of shopping as an activity and religious freedom as a matter of being able to pick one's convictions. Similarly, she traces the history of choice in romantic life, politics, and the ideals of human rights. Throughout, she pays particular attention to the lives of women, who have frequently been the drivers of this change. She concludes with an exploration of how reproductive rights have become a symbolic flashpoint in our contemporary struggles over the association of liberty with choice.

About the Author :
Sophia Rosenfeld is the Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the author of Democracy and Truth: A Short History and Common Sense: A Political History, among other books. Her writing has also appeared in leading publications such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Nation.

Review :
"An immensely informative and engaging account of how the concept took hold, evolved, and spread throughout the world." -- " Psychology Today" "At a time when we are awash with options--indeed, drowning in them--Rosenfeld's analysis of how our modern idea of 'freedom' became bound up in the idea of personal choice feels especially timely, touching on everything from politics to romance." -- "Millions.com" "Rosenfeld, a historian, offers a rich account of how free choice became instead a hallmark of any life worth living." -- "New York Times Book Review" "This first-rate study of choice and freedom will appeal to most history lovers." -- "Library Journal (starred review)"