Weakness of Will (Episode 35)

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Why do you do things you know you shouldn’t?

The ancient term for doing what you knew wasn’t best for was akrasia or weakness of will. Plato and Aristotle believed in it. The Stoics did not. What this means and why it matters for us today is the subject of this episode.

(01:04) What is Weakness of Will

(11:54) Plato on Weakness of Will

(22:22) Aristotle

(28:44) The Stoics

(36:31) The Early Stoic Solution

(41:27) Epictetus and Weak Beliefs

(49:14) Nonreflective Judgments

(53:18) Practical Upshot

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