Weakness of Will and Practical Identity
In this article, I develop an Augustinian response to some contemporary philosophical proposals concerning the problem of weakness of will. I argue that many philosophers tend to cast the problem in terms of irrationality, focusing on psychological components such as judgment, desire, and resolution...
Main Author: | |
---|---|
Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Sage
[2020]
|
In: |
Studies in Christian ethics
Year: 2020, Volume: 33, Issue: 4, Pages: 463-478 |
RelBib Classification: | KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity NBE Anthropology VA Philosophy ZD Psychology |
Further subjects: | B
Augustine
B Irrationality B Weakness of will B Akrasia B Practical identity |
Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) |
Summary: | In this article, I develop an Augustinian response to some contemporary philosophical proposals concerning the problem of weakness of will. I argue that many philosophers tend to cast the problem in terms of irrationality, focusing on psychological components such as judgment, desire, and resolution. In contrast, I contend that weakness of will has more to do with the absence of a coherent conception of practical identity and with a misleading conception of practical identity that overestimates the agent’s normative and motivational capacities. I claim that the irrationality of the weak-willed agent is at best a symptom, rather than the ultimate source, of weakness of will which cannot be properly understood without first addressing the deficiency of our internal resources relative to our willing and doing. |
---|---|
ISSN: | 0953-9468 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Studies in Christian ethics
|
Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0953946820909746 |