Single Idea 23336

[catalogued under 20. Action / B. Preliminaries of Action / 2. Willed Action / a. Will to Act]

Full Idea

Plato and Aristotle do not have a notion of a will, since for them a willing, a desire of reason, is a direct result of one's cognitive state: once one sees something to be good, one will it.

Gist of Idea

There is no will for Plato or Aristotle, because actions come directly from perception of what is good

Source

Michael Frede (A Free Will [1997], 09)

Book Reference

Frede,Michael: 'A Free Will' [Univ of California 2011], p.156


A Reaction

The point is that their decisions are 'direct', whereas the will introduces the concept of a final arbiter which weighs up the desires, reasons and drives. The historical steps were first the meta-choosing, then the will as entity, then the will as free.