Akrasia
The Greek concept of acting against one's better judgment, the philosophical problem of weakness of will.
The Meaning of Akrasia
You know the right thing to do and you do the opposite. The Greeks had a word for this: akrasia — literally "without command" over oneself. Socrates argued it was impossible. In the Protagoras he insists that no one willingly does wrong; if you act badly, you must be ignorant of the good. This struck many Greeks as obviously false. Euripides had already put the counterargument in Medea's mouth: "I know what evil I am about to do, but my thumos is stronger than my resolve." Aristotle took Medea's side. In the Nicomachean Ethics he dedicates a full book to akrasia, distinguishing it from vice. The vicious person acts wrongly and thinks it right. The akratic person acts wrongly and knows it is wrong — and does it anyway. Appetite overwhelms reason like a city overwhelmed by invaders: the laws still exist but no one obeys them. Aristotle identified two types: impetuous akrasia, where passion strikes before reason can respond, and weak akrasia, where reason deliberates and loses. The problem has never been solved. Modern philosophy calls it "weakness of will" and it remains one of the hardest questions in moral psychology.
Parents
Greek ethical tradition
Symbols
Fun Fact
Aristotle compared the akratic person to a sleeping or drunk man — the knowledge is there but temporarily disconnected from action.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Akrasia
💭 conceptActing against one's own better judgment
The philosophical problem of knowing what is right but doing wrong anyway — weakness of will in the face of temptation.
Aporia
💭 conceptThe productive state of philosophical puzzlement
The state of intellectual impasse that Socrates deliberately induced — the recognition that you do not know what you thought you knew.
Hamartia
💭 conceptTragic flaw or error
Hamartia was the tragic hero's fatal flaw or error of judgement — the concept Aristotle identified as the hinge on which tragedy turns.
Ethos
💭 conceptRhetoric and Character
The Greek concept of moral character as a mode of persuasion, rooted in habit and reputation.
Divine Justice
💭 conceptEthics
The principle that the gods punish wrongdoing and uphold moral order in the cosmos
Hubris
💭 conceptThe cardinal sin of Greek ethics
Hubris was the gravest moral offence — arrogance of overstepping human boundaries or defying the gods.
Phronesis
💭 conceptwisdom, practical judgment
Practical wisdom — the ability to discern the right course of action in particular circumstances.
Enantiodromia
💭 conceptphilosophy
The tendency of extremes to reverse into their opposites — the principle that things carried to their limit swing back toward what they denied.
Hubris
💭 conceptThe overstepping that invites divine punishment
The supreme Greek sin of overstepping one's mortal bounds, degrading others, or presuming equality with the gods.
Ate
💭 conceptPersonification of ruinous delusion
The goddess of blind folly and ruin who walks among mortals, leading them to make the decisions that destroy them.
Aidos
💭 conceptShame, modesty, and reverence
Aidos was the Greek concept of shame, reverence, and the inner sense of propriety that restrained people from acting dishonourably — the opposite of hubris.
Arete
💭 conceptExcellence and virtue
Arete was the Greek concept of excellence in all things — not merely moral virtue but the fulfilment of one's highest potential in body, mind, and character.