[A] first rate piece of work which will make a substantial contribution to the subject . . . Existing discussions of these problems tend to be abstract and excessively rationalistic. Gosling brings the problems down to earth, with a rich variety of carefully drawn examples and nice distinctions . . . forcing the reader again and again to question common formulations and standing presumptions. The resulting view is complex but convincing.
–Professor Gene Mason, University of Minnesota
Gosling . . . has written a very good book as part of a distinguished series . . ..
–Choice, 1991
Product Description
Weakness of the Will gives an excellent historical survey of philosophers' puzzles about the possibility of deliberately taking the worse course. Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, a selection of medieval philosophers, and more contemporary philosophers are explored to illustrate why and how they avoid discussing the problem.
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