more from Rowland Stout

Single Idea 20077

[catalogued under 20. Action / B. Preliminaries of Action / 2. Willed Action / d. Weakness of will]

Full Idea

Weakness of will is a threat to the outward-looking approach to agency. It seems you can hold one thing to be the thing to do, and at the same time do something else. Many regard this as a decisive reason to follow a more inward-looking approach.

Gist of Idea

If you can judge one act as best, then do another, this supports an inward-looking view of agency

Source

Rowland Stout (Action [2005], 8 'Weakness')

Book Reference

Stout,Rowland: 'Action' [Acumen 2005], p.125


A Reaction

It hadn't struck me before that weakness of will is a tool for developing an accurate account of what is involved in normal agency. Some facts that guide action are internal to the agent, such as greed for sugary cakes.