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.
How can we consider human subjectivity as ethical, granted that human beings are essentially interdependent, self-opaque, vulnerable and ambivalent in their attitudes? The aim of this paper is to tackle the question against the background of the relational notion of subjectivity developed in the ethics of care. First, we analyse Carol Gilligan’s theory of moral development and focus on its underlying notion of relational subjectivity. Further, we revise some of Gilligan’s ideas with the help of the object relations theory and Donald Winnicott’s concept of the transitional area of play in particular. Finally, we show how Winnicott’s view of the role of play in human development, especially its capacity to be transformative, joyful, binding and critical, enriches the notion of relational subjectivity and its ethical implications as studied by care ethicists.
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