Two Varieties of Akrasia

Abstract

Akrasia or “moral weakness” involves acting contrary to what one normally believes to be the best or right course of action. I begin by offering a general definition of akrasia to cover all instances of the phenomenon. I then argue that there are two varieties of akrasia that fall under this general definition. The first, which I call “Greek akrasia,” involves a failure of belief at the moment of action, whereas the second, which I call “Augustinian akrasia,” involves a failure of will. The crux of the matter is whether one maintains one’s ordinary belief about the right thing to do at the moment of action and yet wills to act contrary to that belief, or whether one’s beliefs shift around such that they are obscured or misconstrued at the moment of action.