Irrationality: An Essay on Akrasia, Self-Deception, and Self-Control

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Author: Alfred R. Mele

ISBN-10: 0195080017

ISBN-13: 9780195080018

Category: General & Miscellaneous Philosophy

Although much human action serves as proof that irrational behavior is remarkably common, certain forms of irrationality—most notably, incontinent action and self-deception—pose such difficult theoretical problems that philosophers have rejected them as logically or psychologically impossible. Here, Mele shows that, and how, incontinent action and self-deception are indeed possible. Drawing upon recent experimental work in the psychology of action and inference, he advances naturalized...

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Although much human action serves as proof that irrational behavior is remarkably common, certain forms of irrationality—most notably, incontinent action and self-deception—pose such difficult theoretical problems that philosophers have rejected them as logically or psychologically impossible. Here, Mele shows that, and how, incontinent action and self-deception are indeed possible. Drawing upon recent experimental work in the psychology of action and inference, he advances naturalized explanations of akratic action and self-deception while resolving the paradoxes around which the philosophical literature revolves. In addition, he defends an account of self-control, argues that "strict" akratic action is an insurmountable obstacle for traditional belief-desire models of action-explanation, and explains how a considerably modified model accommodates action of this sort.