It has come into question in my mind whether or not the concept of Akrasia—acting against one’s better judgement—is even possible. I’m having trouble saying that it is. It seems to only move the point of interest to some general lack of discipline, where perhaps it should remain in our lack of rational judgement, conscious or otherwise.
When we appear to act against our better judgement, I postulate that our conscious judgement is in conflict with what our subconscious mind has planned—such as maintaining self-image through self-handicapping (a big one for me) -- and the subconscious wins the conflict. I admit that this may sound a bit too Freudian, and hence, unfalsifiable, for many people’s taste, but it fits with my experience.
In this scenario, the solution of recognizing Akrasia and nipping it in the bud seems to not be the ideal solution. A superior one would be to somehow recalibrate the part of the brain that you can’t consciously observe to operate with higher accuracy.
It has come into question in my mind whether or not the concept of Akrasia—acting against one’s better judgement—is even possible. I’m having trouble saying that it is. It seems to only move the point of interest to some general lack of discipline, where perhaps it should remain in our lack of rational judgement, conscious or otherwise.
When we appear to act against our better judgement, I postulate that our conscious judgement is in conflict with what our subconscious mind has planned—such as maintaining self-image through self-handicapping (a big one for me) -- and the subconscious wins the conflict. I admit that this may sound a bit too Freudian, and hence, unfalsifiable, for many people’s taste, but it fits with my experience.
In this scenario, the solution of recognizing Akrasia and nipping it in the bud seems to not be the ideal solution. A superior one would be to somehow recalibrate the part of the brain that you can’t consciously observe to operate with higher accuracy.
This is certainly compatible with the view of Socrates, minus the bit about the ‘subconscious mind’.