Practical Reason, Aristotle, and Weakness of the Will (Minnesota Publications in the Humanities)

Minneapolis, MN: Univ Of Minnesota Press, 1984. Paperback. Very Good/None. Minnesota Publications in the Humanities Green softcover, lightly edgeworn, but still very good. Spine is uncreased, and binding is sound. Interior is unmarked. 8vo. BOOK INFO: One of the central problems in recent moral philosophy is the apparent tension between the 'practical' or 'action-guiding' side of moral judgments and their objectivity. That tension would not exist if practical reason existed (if reason played a substantial role in producing motivation) and if recognition of obligation were one of the areas in which practical reason operated. In Practical Reason, Aristotle, and the Weakness of the Will, Dahl argues that, despite widespread opinion to the contrary, Aristotle held a position on practical reason that both provides an objective basis for ethics and satisfies an important criterion of adequacy--that it acknowledges genuine cases of weakness of the will. In arguing for this, Dahl distinguishes Aristotle's position from that of David Hume, who denied the existence of practical reason. Dahl's arguments have both a philosophical and a historical point. He argues that Aristotle's position on practical reason deserves to be taken seriously, a conclusion he reinforces by comparing that position with more recent attempts, by Kant, Nagel, and Rawls, to base ethics on practical reason. Aristotle--Ethics, Ethics, Ancient, Practical reason--History