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The Good-Enough Life

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( 375 ratings, 67 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Good-Enough Life by Avram Alpert explores the idea of finding contentment through embracing imperfections and limitations. It suggests that instead of striving for unattainable perfection, individuals can achieve a more fulfilling life by accepting "good enough" and focusing on meaningful relationships, balance, and personal well-being. Through philosophical and psychological insights, the book encourages readers to redefine success and happiness on their own terms.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$5300

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this insightful and thought-provoking read if you're exploring the philosophy of finding contentment in imperfection. The author invites you to embrace a fulfilling life that's centred on community and balance, making it appealing for readers interested in how moderation can lead to greater happiness and societal well-being.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

How an acceptance of our limitations can lead to a more fulfilling life and a more harmonious society.

We live in a world oriented toward greatness, one in which we feel compelled to be among the wealthiest, most powerful, and most famous. This book explains why no one truly benefits from this competitive social order and reveals how another way of life is possibleβ€”a good-enough life for all.

Avram Alpert shows how our obsession with greatness results in stress and anxiety, damage to our relationships, widespread political and economic inequality, and destruction of the natural world. He describes how to move beyond greatness to create a society in which everyone flourishes. By competing less with each other, each of us can find renewed meaning and purpose, have our material and emotional needs met, and begin to lead more leisurely lives. Alpert makes no false utopian promises, however. Life can never be more than good enough because there will always be accidents and tragedies beyond our control, which is why we must stop dividing the world into winners and losers and ensure that there is a fair share of decency and sufficiency to go around.

Visionary and provocative, The Good-Enough Life demonstrates how we can work together to cultivate a good-enough life for all instead of tearing ourselves apart in a race to the top of the social pyramid.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Good-Enough Life by Avram Alpert is well-received, with recognition as a Critics' Book of the Year by the Financial Times and an Outstanding Academic Title by Choice. Reviewers appreciate its philosophical approach to challenging meritocracy, advocating for valuing common moral qualities over rare talents. Its contemplative style and call for a cultural reorientation towards "good enough" provide an inspiring and refreshing perspective on societal norms.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780691254685

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 19 September 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: Princeton University Press

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 133.0mm

Height: 203.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 336

About the Author

Avram Alpert is a writer and teacher. He has worked at Princeton and Rutgers Universities, and is currently a research fellow at the New Institute in Hamburg. His books include A Partial Enlightenment: What Modern Literature and Buddhism Can Teach Us about Living Well without Perfection. His work has appeared in publications such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Aeon.

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