Cage called freedom: Who is really free?

Quadry

No one forces you to check your phone. So why does modern life still feel like a cage? An essay on freedom, self-discipline and Max Weber.

Nobody stands over you with a whip, yet the alarm still rings, the notifications still pull, the metrics still judge. Drawing on Max Weber’s “iron cage,” this essay asks whether today’s freedom is really freedom at all — or just a cage with better lighting.