Single Idea 23996

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

Full Idea

To make my emotion intelligible [in a weakness of will case] is to look back and recognise that my emotions and dispositions were not quite as I had taken them to be. It is quite useless in such a case to invoke a blanket diagnosis of 'irrationality'.

Gist of Idea

Akrasia is intelligible in hindsight, when we revisit our previous emotions

Source

Simon Blackburn (Ruling Passions [1998], p.191)

Book Reference

Blackburn,Simon: 'Ruling Passions' [OUP 2000], p.191


A Reaction

So Blackburn rejects the idea of akrasia, because there was never really a conflict. He says rational people always aim to maximise their utility (p.135), and if their own act surprises them, it is just a failure to understand their own rationality.