On Settling

Description

In a culture that worships ceaseless striving, "settling" seems like giving up. But is it? On Settling defends the positive value of settling, explaining why this disdained practice is not only more realistic but more useful than an excessive ideal of striving. In fact, the book makes the case that we'd all be lost without settling--and that even t

Robert E. Goodin is professor of government at the University of Essex and distinguished professor of philosophy and social and political theory at Australian National University.

"Mr. Goodin's On Settling is a brief and gentle meditation on a subject that is larger and more controversial than it may at first seem."--Daniel Akst, Wall Street Journal "Goodin's gentle little book is brimming with intelligence, sense, and humanity, and he makes a lot of progress toward understanding a concept that has received far too little attention."--Cass Sunstein, New Republic "[I]t may be of more use than most self-help works on the topic combined... Goodin's argument is liberating."--Oliver Burkeman, Guardian "Goodin's On Settling may be an economical 74 pages plus footnotes and index but, intellectually speaking, is no mere hors d'oeuvre."--Chris Wallace, Canberra Times "This little book is an exercise in settling, not only a discussion of it, for Goodin has a lot more wisdom to share than he can capture in seventy-four pages. But the result of his effort is a manifestly important and worthy contribution to philosophical reflection, and no less so because it settled for being simply that rather than aspiring to say the first or last word on the subject."--David Schmidtz, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews "I found this book highly rewarding. Due to its use of history and ordinary language, it is accessible to specialists and non-specialists alike... Goodin gives readers a well-grounded starting point for a conversation on settling--one that I hope is continued."--Harrison P. Frye, Political Studies Review and Political Theory