Entre la Libertad y la Servidumbre

In Entre la Libertad y la Servidumbre (Between Freedom and Servitude), Armando Ribas provides a rigorous analysis of the philosophical and ethical ideas that have shaped the history of open societies versus the intellectual foundations of 20th-century totalitarianisms. Writing in the wake of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Ribas offers an indispensable document for understanding the contemporary challenges of the liberal democratic project.

Ribas posits that the apparent triumph of liberal capitalism is not "the end of history," but rather a liberation from the "shackles" of Hegelian and Marxist historicism. He introduces the concept of the "Third Stream" (La Tercera Vertiente)—a magnificent symbiosis of reason, sentiment, and transcendence that defines the true nature of man in a free society. This stream, rooted in the English "Glorious Revolution" of 1688 and the American Revolution of 1776, stands as the only sustainable alternative to both religious fanaticism and rationalist Jacobinism.

The work is particularly relevant for the Latin American context, dedicating significant depth to "The Ethics of the Cuban Transition" and re-evaluating the "Argentine Miracle" of the 19th century. Ribas argues that the region's prosperity and stability depend on embracing the underlying values of individual rights, property, and the limitation of state power.

This Stockcero edition is an essential resource for advanced seminars in Political Science, Ethics, Latin American History, and Philosophy, challenging students to confront the arduous art of being free through the works of Hume, Locke, Montesquieu, Kant, and Alberdi.