In an era marked by technological acceleration, planetary fragility and democratic uncertainty, can the idea of ‘the Good’ be reclaimed without reviving the metaphysical teleologies of the past? Mark Olssen reconstructs ‘the Good’ as a post-teleological and relational concept grounded not in fixed ends but in the shared conditions that enable life, agency and collective judgment to endure over time. Drawing on political theory, public choice, complexity thinking and contemporary debates on artificial intelligence, the book argues that ‘the Good’ lies in sustaining the ecological, institutional, epistemic and educational infrastructures that make freedom and meaning possible within an interdependent world. Moving across democracy, ethics, education, water governance and digital transformation, Olssen deepens and extends his theory of continuance ethics, showing how responsibility can be understood in terms of preserving the conditions for future agency rather than conforming to a singular vision of the good life. Against both foundational moralism and relativistic fragmentation, The Return of the Good in the Age of AI offers a distinctive normative vocabulary for governing under conditions of uncertainty, complexity and technological power. It will be essential reading for scholars and advanced students of political theory, public policy, philosophy, education, sociology and economics seeking to rethink ethics and democracy in a planetary and digital age.
