Question

Outline Aristotle’s distinction between weakness of the will vs. impulsiveness. Give an example of each.

Answer 1

Our mind is more capable of deliberate or determined action. Like the man, the mind can do what it wants because it is not a mechanism. By learning its ways, learning to 'discern what it wants to do, and when it does want to do it, let it go', the mind can become a 'power of ordering the various powers which it has got to possess, to use for good, and for evil'. Philosophers have always thought of the intellect, whether the faculty of the soul or the faculty of reasoning, as the head. The mind's will is at the back. But the mind is so called because its powers are various, the pre-eminence of one being most marked. It has capacities for each sort of deliberation or choice. Aristotle identifies a distinction in action from the concept of the will. Aristotle distinguishes between what a person does and what he ought to do. Weakness of the will leads to mindless thought that leads to the error of pursuing what is wrong in the world. Weakness of the will is defined in terms of a person feeling inadequate and not feeling like themselves because they feel judged in various ways, not only from others, but also from themselves. This causes the person to become overly sensitive to criticism and thus the person will react by taking actions that make them feel inadequate — and this in turn leads to self-criticism. The lack of will and determination that leads to unwise judgments, habits and bad choices. For example: If the individual has a weak will and cannot control his actions having no amount of self-control then there is more chance of creating an inappropriate act by the individual. Weakness of the will is a problem because it leads to immature emotional responses and foolishness. Aristotle considers impulsiveness as bending a rule out of wisdom or acting recklessly. He considers it as a dangerous trait and giving cautions regarding the dangers of excessive impulsiveness. For example: committing an unlawful act like stealing. Impulsiveness can lead to good or ill outcomes. It may be a strong aid to human flourishing, but it may also be a hindrance, serving only to prevent us from achieving a better result.