The Cost of Ambition

How Striving to Be Better Than Others Makes Us Worse

series: Theology for the Life of the World

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New York Times bestselling author Miroslav Volf on why striving for superiority is at odds with the Christian faith

"[A] smart take on a world obsessed with forward motion."--Publishers Weekly

Many people believe that ambition--striving to be better than others--improves us and advances society. But what if it actually makes us worse?

In The Cost of Ambition, world-renowned theologian and award-winning author Miroslav Volf argues that striving for superiority has negative consequences in all domains of life. Instead, we should strive for excellence. Volf explores:

● what Søren Kierkegaard, John Milton, and the apostle Paul say about the cost of ambition
● how we can achieve excellence rather than strive for superiority
● how to stop being plagued by our own sense of inferiority to others
● why Christians must retrieve a humbler way of life

Volf also examines what the teachings of Jesus and the stories in Genesis say on the matter. Volf explains how striving to be better than others devalues our achievements, surroundings, and relationships by turning them into mere means to an empty goal. This pursuit, though widely accepted in modern life, is at odds with key Christian convictions.

After exposing the toxicity of ambition, Volf uses contemporary examples to guide us toward striving for excellence.

Contents
1."O Solomon, I Have Outdone You!"
2. The Worry of Comparison (Kierkegaard)
3. Satan's Aspiration (Milton)
4. "Outdo One Another in Showing Honor" (Paul)
5. "What Do You Have That You Did Not Receive?" (Paul)
6. From Jesus to Genesis: On Biblical Discomfort with Striving for Superiority
Conclusion: Against Striving for Superiority--Twenty-Four Theses

Endorsements

"This book does not disappoint. Miroslav Volf has always written compellingly and convincingly as he diagnoses the human condition. In his latest, The Cost of Ambition, he guides the reader through the origins of the pervasive yet misguided need to prove one's superiority and the multitude of problems that such striving creates. Simultaneously humane and scholarly, psychologically astute and theologically sound, Volf suggests that deliverance from this predicament can only come from the proper recognition of the generosity of the glorious and gifting God, ultimately exchanging the enslaving and empty striving for superiority with freedom and fullness in Christ's accomplishments for us and God's superiority in relation to us."

Robert Emmons, editor in chief of The Journal of Positive Psychology; author of Thanks! How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier and The Little Book of Gratitude

"Scholarly but readable, and combining moral clarity with compassion, this book is essential on a defining temptation of our times."

Elizabeth Oldfield, author of Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times; host of The Sacred podcast

"A beautifully written, deeply necessary account of the dangers of mimetic ambition in a world that seems to prize it above all else. Volf manages to render the familiar texts he covers startling and new, and in so doing, challenges us to think through some of modern life's most urgent questions."

Tara Isabella Burton, author of Self-Made: Creating Our Identities from Da Vinci to the Kardashians

"Miroslav Volf shows us how our built-in, always-on, hard-to-see preference for superiority over others--as old as human history yet never more relevant than today--works against our own well-being and that of our societies. As a business leader, I've seen the destruction caused by teammates who are motivated by one-upping one another to promote their personal interest over the collective goals. The good news is that The Cost of Ambition offers a reliable way out . . . if we are willing to hear and see it."

Scott Stephenson, former chairman, president, and chief executive officer, Verisk Analytics

The Author

  1. Miroslav Volf
    © Christopher Capozziello

    Miroslav Volf

    Miroslav Volf (DrTheol, University of Tübingen) is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and founding director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture in New Haven, Connecticut. He has written or edited more than two...

    Continue reading about Miroslav Volf

Reviews

"Aiming to be better than others is morally harmful and chafes against Christian ethics, according to this intriguing meditation. . . . Volf's argument amounts to a robust critique of the prizing of ambition for its own sake, though he also acknowledges that such striving can lead to social progress and that it's possible for people to improve themselves without measuring their progress against others'. Armchair philosophers will find much to ponder in this smart take on a world obsessed with forward motion."

Publishers Weekly