David Lindén – författare

Karin Månsdotter kom som tonåring till Stockholms slott där hon 1568 gifte sig med kung Erik XIV. Hon är den första kvinnan av folket som träder fram i den svenska historien, även om hennes tid som drottning blev kort endast i 87 dagar var hon drottning av Sverige innan hennes man störtades från tronen. Genom historien har hon porträtterats som en passiv kvinnogestalt som Erik XIV mest tyckte var vacker, men stämmer verkligen detta? 

Detta är den första moderna biografin över Karin Månsdotter som visar att hon var långt ifrån "liten Karin" som hon kallades på 1800-talet. Hon var intelligent, förutseende och ibland hänsynslös. En maktspelare som överlevde sina fiender, inte tvekade att ta strid för det hon trodde på och som respekterades också av sina motståndare. För första gången berättas historien om drottning Karin Månsdotter på hennes egna villkor.

David Lindén är historiker och journalist som specialiserat sig på maktens eviga mekanismer genom seklerna. Med hjälp av hittills okänt källmaterial och uppdaterad forskning, tecknar han ett porträtt av en av de mest fascinerande kvinnorna i svensk historia. Han har skrivit flera böcker om viktiga personer ur historien. 2020 kom den andra boken i hans historiska lättläst-serie: Stockholms blodbad.

Friedrich Hayek’s 1944 Road to Serfdom is a classic of conservative economic argument. While undeniably a product of a specific time in global politics – which saw the threat of fascism from Nazi Germany and its allies beguilingly answered by the promises of socialism – Hayek’s carefully constructed argument is a fine example of the importance of good reasoning in critical thinking.

Reasoning is the art of constructing good, persuasive arguments by organizing one’s thoughts, supporting one’s conclusions, and considering counter-arguments along the way. The Road to Serfdom illustrates all these skills in action; Hayek’s argument was that, while many assumed socialism to be the answer to totalitarian, fascist regimes, the opposite was true. Socialist government’s reliance on a large state, centralised control, and bureaucratic planning – he insisted – actually amounts to a different kind of totalitarianism.

Freedom of choice, Hayek continued, is a central requirement of individual freedom, and hence a centrally planned economy inevitably constrains freedom. Though many commentators have sought to counter Hayek’s arguments, his reasoning skills won over many of the politicians who have shaped the present day, most notably Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.

Friedrich Hayek’s 1944 Road to Serfdom is a classic of conservative economic argument. While undeniably a product of a specific time in global politics – which saw the threat of fascism from Nazi Germany and its allies beguilingly answered by the promises of socialism – Hayek’s carefully constructed argument is a fine example of the importance of good reasoning in critical thinking.

Reasoning is the art of constructing good, persuasive arguments by organizing one’s thoughts, supporting one’s conclusions, and considering counter-arguments along the way. The Road to Serfdom illustrates all these skills in action; Hayek’s argument was that, while many assumed socialism to be the answer to totalitarian, fascist regimes, the opposite was true. Socialist government’s reliance on a large state, centralised control, and bureaucratic planning – he insisted – actually amounts to a different kind of totalitarianism.

Freedom of choice, Hayek continued, is a central requirement of individual freedom, and hence a centrally planned economy inevitably constrains freedom. Though many commentators have sought to counter Hayek’s arguments, his reasoning skills won over many of the politicians who have shaped the present day, most notably Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.