Deconstructing Aristotelian Concept of Akrasia in Contemporary Perspective

Abstract

If there can be an agreement amongst all humans on one thing, it would definitely be on the issue of Good Life. Without exception, all beings on this planet aspire to achieve a Good Life, even though; the very nature of Good Life being aspired may vary immensely across the board. A great deal of analysis on the issue has happened since antiquity and philosophers and thinkers of different traditions and orientations have come forth with their conceptualizations on the matter but we are still far away from any universal definition of the idea of Good Life. Aristotle is one such philosopher of Greek Tradition who has undertaken the analysis of this question and attempted to offer a rational explanation of its form and nature. However, more than Aristotle’s conception of Good Life, it is his views on the obstructions that prevent us from achieving this goal, that are more important to understanding his ethical theory. The Greek term for this phenomenon is ‘Akrasia’, which may be translated as ‘Weakness of the Will’ or ‘Lack of Self-Control’. In this paper, this Aristotelian concept of ‘Akrasia’ will be deconstructed to understand its meaning as well its implications in the contemporary perspective.