How can one freely act contrary to one’s better judgement about what is right? Since antiquity, this question has attracted attention of many ethicists and theorists of action as the “problem of akrasia”. On a traditional and still influential view akrasia happens when some irrational tendencies, emotions and desires override the rational part of one’s soul and cause them to act in a way which contradicts their rational beliefs about what is good and desirable. In this paper, we aim to (...) show that the view of akrasia as a matter of practical irrationality doesn’t provide an adequate tool for understanding the complex nature of akrasia, since it obstructs an insight into the rational and social dimension of akrasia. We will argue that akrasia, far from being only an individual phenomenon, concerns also the action of broader social and political entities. We will introduce the notion of socio-political akrasia and demonstrate the seriousness of this phenomenon by analysing the case of (in)action of contemporary governments in the context of the climate crisis. Finally, we will conclude by offering a perspective on how to prevent socio-political akrasia. (shrink)

Článek se zabývá různými možnými úhly pohledu na problém závislosti, nakolik je relevantní pro filosofii. Nejprve diskutuje vztah mezi závislostí a akrasií; poté navrhuje další směry analýzy závislosti jakožto komplexního problému aktérova postoje k možnostem vlastní existence a pravidlům her a kontextů, v nichž se pohybuje.The paper deals with various possible points of view on the problem of addiction, as far as it is a relevant philosophical topic. It discusses first the relationship between addiction and akrasia; then it suggests other (...) directions for the analysis of addiction as a complex problem of the agent’s stance to the possibilities of her/his own existence and to the rules of the games and contexts within which she/he acts. (shrink)

RésuméCet article fait valoir que si le bref traitement que consacre Aristote à la thêriotês, dans l'Éthique à Nicomaque,a été généralement négligé par les commentateurs, il mérite en fait d'être étudié de près. Il jette en effet un éclairage sur certains des sujets les plus populates de l”Éthique,la portée de l'éthique, la place du désir dans la vie morale, la distinction entre akrasie et vice, volontaire et involontaire, et il ouvre des pistes intéressantes sur la commensurabilité des évaluations éthiques.