Resolutions of Abandonment, by Michael Pakaluk

New Year’s resolutions are typically an effort in self-control.  But what if the best resolutions are those by which we relinquish control?

Allow me as a philosopher to begin with a taxonomy of resolutions, since some kinds of resolutions are better than others.

If I resolve not to eat between meals, or to put away machines when spending time with my family, I am making a merely “corrective” resolution.  If I am successful, I simply put myself back to where I should be.  I don’t improve myself but keep from getting worse.

Other resolutions are, let us say, “additive.”  Suppose I resolve to put aside $50/week for a travel fund to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  Here, each step adds to a previous step.  It’s cumulative, and in that sense, I constantly improve my position. …