Dispersing the Clouds of Temptation: Turning Away from Weakness of Will and Turning towards the Sun

by Brian Lightbody

Overview

In Romans 7:14-25, Paul declares, "For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want, is what I do" (KJV). St. Paul's statement is a universal truth for all human beings; humans--whether Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, or atheists--are prone to committing free actions that are not "good." Furthermore, and irrespective of how we might construe the notion of "good" (whether as acting in accordance with some religious or spiritual precept or simply doing what is in one's best interest), we often knowingly and freely choose actions that may, or in fact do, harm us. There is a name given to such actions. We call them "weak-willed." "Weakness of will," or akrasia, has perplexed philosophers, theologians, and laypersons alike for centuries. This book reveals why the idea has caused so much bafflement and consternation for so many. The main thrust of the work, however, is to illuminate and inspire: Lightbody seeks to demonstrate, concretely, how and why we are weak-willed. By extracting an "alchemical touchstone" from Plato's middle period philosophy, Lightbody, in addition, reveals how we may transmute harmful appetites into life-edifying passions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781498270151
Publisher:	Pickwick Publications
Publication date:	04/21/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	154
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Brian Lightbody is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Brock University, located in Saint Catharines, Ontario, Canada. He has published numerous articles and book chapters on such diverse thinkers as Foucault, Nietzsche, Haack, Marcuse, and Husserl, in addition to three monographs: Philosophical Genealogy: An Epistemological Reconstruction of Nietzsche and Foucault's Genealogical Method (2 vols.) and The Problem of Naturalism: Analytic Perspectives, Continental Virtues.
Brian Lightbody is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Brock University, located in Saint Catharines, Ontario, Canada. He has published numerous articles and book chapters on such diverse thinkers as Foucault, Nietzsche, Haack, Marcuse, and Husserl, in addition to three monographs: Philosophical Genealogy: An Epistemological Reconstruction of Nietzsche and Foucault's Genealogical Method (2 vols.) and The Problem of Naturalism: Analytic Perspectives, Continental Virtues.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction xi

Chapter 1 What is Weakness of Will? 1

Chapter 2 Is Weakness of Will even Real?: Plato's Early Account of Akrasia in Protagoras and Meno 42

Chapter 3 Plato's New account of Akrasia:: A Study of Phaedo, Symposium and Republic 76

Chapter 4 Turning Towards and Turning Away: Plato's Double Turn in The Cave Analogy 110

Conclusion: Collapsing the Narrative of Temptation 131

Bibliography 137

Subject Index 141