Thanks so much for the Beeminder plugs, Marcin! Great post!
You also inspired me to gather my notes on religious takes on akrasia:
Saint Paul in letter to the Romans: “I do not do what I would like to do, but instead I do what I hate… it is the sin in me” (Is this what you’re referring to?)
Judiasm:
yetzer ha-ra = appetitive impulse, instinctual hungers;
yetzer ha-tov = g-dly impulse, our conscience
Talmudic legend: They decided to capture and cage yetzer ha-ra but it made life come to a standstill; nothing got done. Their solution was to blind yetzer ha-ra and let it go, so it would only know what yetzer ha-tov showed it.
13th-century Torah scholar Ramban: “Set aside a sum of money that you will give away if you allow yourself to be angered / lose your temper”
– dreev 2016-11-30 03:19 UTC
Thanks a lot, Daniel, and sorry for my delay.
Yes, I was referring to that passage of Saint Paul. In Catholic translation: “I do not act as I mean to, but I do things that I hate.”
It was interesting also to read those Judaic thoughts on the subject, thanks!
– Marcin Borkowski 2016-12-31 22:39 UTC