David Conan Wolfsdorf is Professor of Philosophy at Temple University in Philadelphia. Previously he taught at Fairfield University in Connecticut. He is the author of Trials of Reason (Oxford University Press, 2008) and Pleasure in Ancient Greek Philosophy (Cambridge University Press, 2012).

"Wolfsdorf's impressive study is a linguistically sophisticated and philosophically motivated treatment of the various meanings of 'good' and 'goodness'. It brings classic ideas from philosophers such as Geach and Ziff into contact with some of the most sophisticated recent linguistic theories concerning ambiguity, multidimensional gradability, context sensitivity, syntactic determination, and mass noun denotation. I highly recommend it for value theorists interested in expanding their understanding of the rich complexity packed into the core evaluative terms of English and also for anyone studying the meaning of 'good' and 'goodness." -- Matthew Chrisman, Professor of Philosophy, The University of Edinburgh

"Good' is the most central and important evaluative word in the English language, and David Wolfsdorf has written the definitive study of its semantics and syntax. Writing primarily for a philosophical audience, Wolfsdorf has conducted an unprecedentedly thorough and painstaking exploration of the relevant developments in contemporary linguistics. To write on the meaning of 'good' now without first consulting this book would be scholarly malpractice." -- Stephen Finlay , Professor of Philosophy, University of Southern California

"If you agree with G. E. Moore that the nature of goodness is fundamental to philosophical ethics, you should want to read this book. Decades of linguistic work on terms such as 'right,' 'must,' and 'ought' have illuminated the nature of rightness and obligation. Parallel work on 'good' has not yet had a similar impact on philosophical theorizing about goodness. This book will change that, for the better." -- Mark van Roojen , Professor of Philosophy, University of Nebraska-Lincoln