Literary Reviews
o Reader’s Favorite (5 stars, review by Jamie Michele):
“In Remembering Freedom, Connor Curley takes a look at how we come to know the truth, and what that actually means for living a good life. Drawing on classical philosophy and Catholic teaching, Curley begins with the human desire to understand the world, then considers the relationship between reasoning and the fuller understanding that comes through contemplation. His discussion moves through the ideas of Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, and René Descartes as he considers whether the human mind can know reality beyond its own perceptions. From there, the discussion turns to conscience and the moral knowledge that, according to Catholic teaching, God has placed within every person. The discussion then moves into how people recognize goodness, how the will responds to what the mind understands, and why genuine happiness depends upon pursuing what is truly good.
Connor Curley’s Remembering Freedom is a fantastic work of Christian philosophy, and I love how naturally Curley brings difficult philosophical ideas into everyday experience. His writing is thoughtful and conversational, with each explanation developed fully before he brings it into familiar territory. His account of cooking dinner for his wife is a perfect example. Curley follows a recipe for chicken so closely that he only recognizes he has made fried chicken once the dish is cooking, making his discussion of reasoning and understanding wonderfully accessible. His use of a young piano student is just as effective. The child's progress from practicing assigned exercises to enjoying improvisation gives his discussion of genuine liberty a familiar setting. It’s easy to see the huge amount of study and experience behind this work. Well written and insightful, this is an excellent read for Christians interested in philosophy.”
o Literary Titan (5 stars, winner of Gold Book Award):
“In Remembering Freedom, Connor S. Curley takes on a question that shapes nearly every part of our lives: What does it actually mean to be free? His answer begins with an exploration of how we know what’s true, moves through an examination of human nature, and eventually arrives at the relationship between freedom, conscience, and happiness. Drawing heavily on Catholic intellectual tradition, particularly Thomas Aquinas, Karol Wojtyła (Pope John Paul II), and Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), Curley argues that genuine freedom is rooted in our ability to recognize and pursue what is good. At the center of his argument is the conviction that truth is objective and ultimately personal, because truth finds its fullest expression in God. It’s an ambitious philosophical project that invites readers to reconsider some of their most basic assumptions about knowledge, personal autonomy, and the purpose of human life.
One of the book’s most interesting features is how Curley connects ideas that we often consider separately. His discussion of knowledge establishes the groundwork for understanding the human person as a union of body and soul, while his examination of conscience introduces the idea of anamnesis, an interior recognition of goodness that directs us toward truth. These concepts come together in his treatment of freedom, where he distinguishes the classical understanding of freedom as the pursuit of the good from the modern emphasis on unrestricted choice. Curley draws on an impressive range of philosophical and theological sources, moving between Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Descartes, and more recent Catholic thinkers. His use of stories and practical examples, from the tragedy of Oedipus to a soldier’s encounter with a rattlesnake, helps bring abstract philosophical concepts into everyday experience. These moments are especially engaging because they allow readers to see how the questions he’s exploring play out in actual human decisions.
Curley’s writing has the unmistakable personality of someone who genuinely enjoys a spirited intellectual conversation. He’s comfortable challenging prevailing assumptions, questioning established arguments, and occasionally wandering down an interesting philosophical side road. That conversational energy gives the book a distinctive voice, although the arguments themselves can become quite dense. Readers will encounter substantial discussions of epistemology, teleology, natural law, and the operations of the soul, often supported by extended quotations from other thinkers. Curley’s interpretation of modern philosophy is particularly sweeping, and his account of its relationship to contemporary understandings of freedom invites further debate. He also makes clear that his argument proceeds from a Christian understanding of God, an important consideration when evaluating his conclusions. Perhaps the book’s most compelling thread is its insistence that human beings are fundamentally relational. Our freedom, dignity, and happiness are intimately connected to our relationships with God and one another, a theme that gives the more technical philosophical discussions a meaningful human dimension.
Remembering Freedom will likely appeal most to intellectually curious Catholics and other Christians who want to explore the philosophical foundations of their beliefs, especially those interested in Thomism, personalism, and the relationship between faith and reason. Readers who enjoy G. K. Chesterton, Josef Pieper, or John Paul II will find familiar ideas developed and connected in interesting ways. It would also make a worthwhile choice for a philosophy reading group, particularly one whose members enjoy wrestling with challenging ideas and discussing them together. Some familiarity with classical philosophy or Catholic theology will certainly help, and readers approaching these subjects for the first time may want to take the book slowly. Curley’s concluding reflections on intellectual humility and the importance of genuine dialogue offer a fitting destination for the journey. His larger invitation is to approach knowledge as an encounter with reality and with other persons, and to understand freedom as something that develops through the pursuit of truth and goodness. The book is particularly suited to readers who enjoy conversations that continue long after they’ve turned the final page.”
o Reedsy Discovery (2 star review by Zachary Houle):
“Connor Curley is a brilliant, intelligent man. I know this because his book, Remembering Freedom, is well above this reviewer’s pay grade, and I’m told I’m a smart guy. This book may very well be one of the most intelligent things you’ll read from a small press when it comes to Greek philosophy and Catholic thought. However, it is either the most illuminating or the most opaque book you may read. Not helping things is that Curley lacks confidence in pursuing his ideas, writing things such as “I do not think I am a very good writer” and “there are not many (if any) original ideas that you will find herein.” He concludes this work by admitting that as “the time comes to begin putting words to paper, I am veritably plagued with fears, worries, and doubts.” Clearly, this work is not one written by a man who feels self-assured in his own work.
Part of the problem is that Remembering Freedom, as the author hints in the remarks above, relies heavily on direct quotes from secondary sources and does little to paraphrase what they mean. It is also full of what I would call bafflegab – sentences that may only make sense in the mind of the writer: “Anamnesis is indeed related to the intellectus form of knowledge inasmuch as it is passive.” This would be ironic, for Curley notes that his “intention is definitely not to write a philosophy textbook bogged down with technical differences.” There’s the kernel of a good idea here: the book strives to be about “where we are in society today and where we go from here.” However, Remembering Freedomdoesn’t live up to that promise. Instead, the tome is more about how “freedom,” as described by the author, is “tied to a restlessness of the will, desiring goods only insofar as they lead to God.”
All in all, Remembering Freedom feels like a squandered opportunity. It’s the product of a person who has read a lot – there are about 200 footnotes in a work that’s roughly 250 pages long – and the mind that produced it is sharp. However, a lack of focus and self-assurance has led to plodding, and dare I say?perplexing work. It gets an extra star for effort, but it's either a one-star book that makes little sense to the layperson or five stars for being superbly thought out by a complex mind. You decide. My mileage varies.”