The book by philosopher and sociologist Zygmunt Bauman explores the phenomenon of freedom in its social dimension—not as a property or possession of an individual, but as a social relationship connecting a person with others, various social institutions, and society as a whole.

While considering freedom as a natural and universal state of human beings, social sciences typically focus on the phenomena of unfreedom. However, as Bauman demonstrates, freedom is also a product of a specific social structure. Therefore, it is subject to both critical analysis and historical development.