Analysis of Akrasia from the perspective of Alfred Mele and its comparison with Aristotle's point of view

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD Candidate in Philosophy of Ethics, Qom University, Qom, Iran.

2 Professor of Philosophy, Department of Philosophy and Islamic Theology, Qom University, Qom, Iran

Abstract

Akrasia, or moral weakness, for Aristotle and many contemporaries, including Alfred Mele, means the freely, intentionally action contrary to one's decisive better judgment, which occurs due to the weakness of the will and lack of self-control of the actor. Alfred Mele equates Akrasia with a weakness of will and Aristotle with a moral weakness. In addition to the fact that both philosophers consider Akrasia to be a carnal phenomenon. from both perspectives, the cause of Akrasia is the extreme influence of the demands of the emotional part on the reasoning. It is considered to strengthen the argumentative part of the soul versus the emotional part, so that in order to have the strength of will, strengthening the moral factor in three areas of knowledge, emotion and behavior is necessary. The present article intends to study Akrasia in a descriptive-analytical way in the field of practice from the point of view of Alfred Mele and compare it with Aristotle. In the end, it turns out that despite the many similarities, the two do not completely agree on the factors of the realization of Akrasia


Highlights

-        Aristotle (1999) Nicomachean Ethics, trans. Mohammad Hassan Lotfi, Tehran: Tarh e no. (in persian)

-        Aristotle (2002) Nichomachean Ethics. trans. Christopher Rowe. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

-        Beebe, James R (2013) Weakness of will, reasonability, and compulsion. Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

-        Davidson, D (1980) "How is Weakness of the Will Possible?" In J. Feinberg, ed. Moral Concepts (Oxford: Clarendon Press), Reprinted.

-        Davidson, Donald (2004)Problems of Rationality, Oxford: Clarendon Press.

-        Gamperts, Theodore (1996) Greek thinkers, Vol. 2-3, trans. Mohammad Hassan Lotfi, Tehran: Kharazmi Publications. (in persian)

-        Hare. R. M, Prescriptivism: The structure of Ethics and Morals; Ethical Theory; ed. by: Louis p. Pojman.

-        Holton. Richard (1999) “Intention and Weakness of Will,” Journal of Philosophy.

-        Kakklis. Annemarie. Andreas Mojzisch, Stefafan Kakkiserr (2008) Weakness of will, akrasia, and the neuropsychiatry of decision-making: An interdisciplinary perspective, Annemarie Kalis.

-        Khazaei, Zahra) 1386 ("Moral weakness or weakness of will?" Scientific-Research Quarterly of the Islamic Education Association of Iran, Vol. 3, Issue. 2, spring. (in Persian)

-        Khazaei. Z (2018)“Are the Weakness of Will and Akrasia Two Phenomena?”Hekmat va Falsafeh, Vol. 14, No. 56. (in Persian)

-        McDowell, John (1998) Maind Value and Riality, Harvard University Press.

-        Mele. Alfered (1996)Akrasia, Self-Control, and Second-Order Desires, “Socratic Akratic Action, Philosoghical Papers.

-        Mele. Alfered (2006) Free Will and Luck, Oxford University Press.

-        Mele. Alfered (1987)Irrationality. An Essay on Akrasia, Self-deception and Self-control New York: Oxford University Press.

-        Mele. Alfered (1997)Self-Deception Unmasked. Princeton University Press.

-        Mele. Alfered (2010)Weakness of Will and akrasia, springerlink.com,

-        Mele. Alfered (2014) Why Science Hasn't Disproved Free Will? Oxford University Press.

-        Oishi. Lindsay (2003)Agency and Aksia: Assigning Responsibility for incontinent Actions, www.Philosophy.ox.ac.uk/.../University of Oxford. Stroud, Sarah, Weakness of Will and Practical Irrationalty.

-        Plato (1961) Protagoras, in the Collected Dialogues of Plato. trans. Lane Cooper, edited by E. Hamilton and H. Cairns. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

-        Ross, David, Sir William (1998) Aristotle, trans. Mehdi Ghavam Safari, Tehran: Fekr Rooz Publications. (in persian)

-        Thero. Danial. P (2006) Understanding Moral Weakness, Amsterdam, New York.

Keywords

References

-        Aristotle (1999) Nicomachean Ethics, trans. Mohammad Hassan Lotfi, Tehran: Tarh e no. (in persian)
-        Aristotle (2002) Nichomachean Ethics. trans. Christopher Rowe. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
-        Beebe, James R (2013) Weakness of will, reasonability, and compulsion. Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
-        Davidson, D (1980) "How is Weakness of the Will Possible?" In J. Feinberg, ed. Moral Concepts (Oxford: Clarendon Press), Reprinted.
-        Davidson, Donald (2004)Problems of Rationality, Oxford: Clarendon Press.
-        Gamperts, Theodore (1996) Greek thinkers, Vol. 2-3, trans. Mohammad Hassan Lotfi, Tehran: Kharazmi Publications. (in persian)
-        Hare. R. M, Prescriptivism: The structure of Ethics and Morals; Ethical Theory; ed. by: Louis p. Pojman.
-        Holton. Richard (1999) “Intention and Weakness of Will,” Journal of Philosophy.
-        Kakklis. Annemarie. Andreas Mojzisch, Stefafan Kakkiserr (2008) Weakness of will, akrasia, and the neuropsychiatry of decision-making: An interdisciplinary perspective, Annemarie Kalis.
-        Khazaei, Zahra) 1386 ("Moral weakness or weakness of will?" Scientific-Research Quarterly of the Islamic Education Association of Iran, Vol. 3, Issue. 2, spring. (in Persian)
-        Khazaei. Z (2018)“Are the Weakness of Will and Akrasia Two Phenomena?”Hekmat va Falsafeh, Vol. 14, No. 56. (in Persian)
-        McDowell, John (1998) Maind Value and Riality, Harvard University Press.
-        Mele. Alfered (1996)Akrasia, Self-Control, and Second-Order Desires, “Socratic Akratic Action, Philosoghical Papers.
-        Mele. Alfered (2006) Free Will and Luck, Oxford University Press.
-        Mele. Alfered (1987)Irrationality. An Essay on Akrasia, Self-deception and Self-control New York: Oxford University Press.
-        Mele. Alfered (1997)Self-Deception Unmasked. Princeton University Press.
-        Mele. Alfered (2010)Weakness of Will and akrasia, springerlink.com,
-        Mele. Alfered (2014) Why Science Hasn't Disproved Free Will? Oxford University Press.
-        Oishi. Lindsay (2003)Agency and Aksia: Assigning Responsibility for incontinent Actions, www.Philosophy.ox.ac.uk/.../University of Oxford. Stroud, Sarah, Weakness of Will and Practical Irrationalty.
-        Plato (1961) Protagoras, in the Collected Dialogues of Plato. trans. Lane Cooper, edited by E. Hamilton and H. Cairns. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
-        Ross, David, Sir William (1998) Aristotle, trans. Mehdi Ghavam Safari, Tehran: Fekr Rooz Publications. (in persian)
-        Thero. Danial. P (2006) Understanding Moral Weakness, Amsterdam, New York.
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Journal of Philosophical Investigations
Volume 14, Issue 33 - Serial Number 33
Articles
February 2021
Pages 80-96

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