Akrasia
conceptThe Greek concept of acting against one's better judgment, the philosophical problem of weakness of will.
The Myth
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:
Explore Further
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