Weakness of Will and Practical Irrationality

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More About This Textbook

Overview


Among the many practical failures that threaten us, weakness of will or akrasia is often considered to be a paradigm of irrationality. The eleven new essays in this collection, written by an excellent international team of philosophers, some well-established, some younger scholars, give a rich overview of the current debate over weakness of will and practical irrationality more generally. Issues covered include classical questions such as the distinction between weakness and compulsion, the connection between evaluative judgement and motivation, the role of emotions in akrasia, rational agency, and the existence of the will. The also include new topics, such as group akrasia, strength of will, the nature of correct choice, the structure of decision theory, the temporality of prudential reasons, and emotional rationality. Because these questions cut across philosophy of mind and ethics, the collection will be essential reading for scholars, postgraduates, and upper-level undergraduates in both these fields.
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780199257362
  • Publisher: Oxford University Press
  • Publication date: 10/9/2003
  • Edition description: New Edition
  • Pages: 328
  • Product dimensions: 9.40 (w) x 6.30 (h) x 0.90 (d)

Meet the Author

McGill University

University of Montreal

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Table of Contents

Notes on the Contributors
Introduction 1
1 Rational Capacities, or: How to Distinguish Recklessness, Weakness, and Compulsion 17
2 How is Strength of Will Possible? 39
3 Akrasia, Collective and Individual 68
4 Emotions and the Intelligibility of Akratic Action 97
5 Weakness of Will and Practical Judgement 121
6 Accidie, Evaluation, and Motivation 147
7 The Work of the Will 172
8 Choosing Rationally and Choosing Correctly 201
9 Prudence and the Temporal Structure of Practical Reasons 230
10 Practical Irrationality and the Structure of Decision Theory 251
11 Paradoxical Emotion: In Sui Generis Emotional Irrationality 274
References 298
Index 313
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