Graceful Simplicity: Toward a Philosophy and Politics of Simple Living

Despite Our Economic Abundance, "the good life" has proved evasive. Millions of Americans long for a simpler life, with more time for friends and family, for reading a good book or taking a long walk in the woods. Instead our lives are frantic, hectic, and harried -- we live devoid of almost any element of graceful existence.

In Graceful Simplicity, Jerome M. Segal, philosopher, political activist, and former staff member of the House Budget Committee, expands and deepens the contemporary discourse on simple living. He articulates a particular conception of simple living -- one rooted in beauty, peace of mind, appreciativeness, and generosity of spirit. At the same time, he critiques much of the "simple living movement" for believing that we can achieve this as isolated individuals if only we freed ourselves from over consumption. Segal argues persuasively that we have created a society in which human needs can only be met successfully at high levels of income. Instead of individual renunciation, he calls for a politics of simplicity that would put the facilitation of simple living at the heart of our approach to social and economic policy.