Reviews
'Very helpful footnotes and an extensive bibliography. Upper-division undergraduate and graduate students and faculty in philosophy will find this volume of special interest.'Choice, 'Undismayed by the damage that economists and politicians in different ways have done to the term 'welfare', Sumner offers a carefully developed systematic argument for restoring the term to a better use ... This argument moves on from stage to stage to few visible slips. At every stage it isilluminating. At every stage it keeps up enough suspense to impel readers to go on to see how the next stage will work out. This will be true even for readers thoroughly familiar with the topics and the texts that Sumner takes up. Sumner has something new and penetrating to say about all of them. Thus overall it is a very accomplished book.'David Braybrooke, Philosophy in Review, 'Very helpful footnotes and an extensive bibliography. Upper-division undergraduate and graduate students and faculty in philosophy will find this volume of special interest.'Choice'Undismayed by the damage that economists and politicians in different ways have done to the term 'welfare', Sumner offers a carefully developed systematic argument for restoring the term to a better use ... This argument moves on from stage to stage to few visible slips. At every stage it is illuminating. At every stage it keeps up enough suspense to impel readers to go on to see how the next stage will work out. This will be true even for readersthoroughly familiar with the topics and the texts that Sumner takes up. Sumner has something new and penetrating to say about all of them. Thus overall it is a very accomplished book.'David Braybrooke, Philosophy in Review'The book is extremely well-written and argued, and the discussion of competing views (e.g., hedonism, desire theory, perfectionism) is very insightful. Most importantly, Sumner's theory of welfare breaks important new ground, and is sure to become one of the leading theories. Ignore this book at your peril.'Peter Vallentyne, Economics and Philosophy'a clear, careful, and well-crafted investigation into major theories of welfare'The Philosophical Review, Bruce Bower, Tulane University, Vol 107, no 2, April 1998, 'The book is extremely well-written and argued, and the discussion of competing views (e.g., hedonism, desire theory, perfectionism) is very insightful. Most importantly, Sumner's theory of welfare breaks important new ground, and is sure to become one of the leading theories. Ignore thisbook at your peril.'Peter Vallentyne, Economics and Philosophy, 'a clear, careful, and well-crafted investigation into major theories of welfare'The Philosophical Review, Bruce Bower, Tulane University, Vol 107, no 2, April 1998
