Table of Contents

1: Achievements: They're Great. But what are they?
2: Difficulty
3: Competent Causation
4: The Value of Achievement
5: The Relative Value of Achievement
6: Puzzles and Games

About the Author

Gwen Bradford is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Rice University, working in value theory and normative ethics.

Reviews

Bradford thinks very lucidly ... this book is a welcome contribution to the philosophical discussion of value in human life. I hope it has a refreshing effect on it...a falt out original contribution
*Nomy Arpaly, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews Online*

... the book is a worthy attempt at illuminating a topic that has thus far been neglected. It will surely be the starting point for future discussions of achievement.
*Eden Lin, Analysis*

Bradford's book is an original and impressive contribution to the literature on human values.
*Hasko von Kriegstein, Ethics*

[C]learly written and well structured book ... Achievement is a refreshing and exciting book that explores a severely overlooked topic in such a way that allows a wide variety of audiences to engage with it ... the innovative arguments produced in this book will be sure to provoke subsequent work in this interesting area.
*Patrick Hassan, Social Theory and Practice*

The APA Book Prize is given in recognition of a philosophical achievement, and this year's winner offers a lucid and groundbreaking account of the nature and value of what the prize recognizes. An achievement is when someone succeeds in bringing about a goal, in the face of difficulty, as a result of knowing what they're doing. Since difficulty calls for effort and a distinctively human exercise of the will, achievement contributes to a life lived well. Gwen Bradford's thinking in this book represents an elegant proof of concept
*American Philosophical Association*