Single Idea 23250

[catalogued under 2. Reason / A. Nature of Reason / 1. On Reason]

Full Idea

And of responsible actions, some are done through habit, some through desire, and of these some through rational and some through irrational desire.

Gist of Idea

Desired responsible actions result either from rational or from irrational desire

Source

Aristotle (The Art of Rhetoric [c.350 BCE], 1369a01)

Book Reference

Aristotle: 'The Art of Rhetoric', ed/tr. Lawson-Tancred,H.C. [Penguin 1991], p.112


A Reaction

Identified by Michael Frede, to illustrate reason having its own distinctive type of desire ('Boulesis'). I suspect that the rational desires are the morally good desires.

Related Idea

Idea 23249 The early philosophers thought that reason has its own needs and desires [Frede,M]