Autonomy is a fundamental though contested concept in both philosophy as well as in the broader intellectual culture of today's liberal societies. For instance, most of us place great value on the opportunity to make our own decisions and to be able to lead a life of our own choosing. Yet, there is stark disagreement on what is involved in being able to decide autonomously, as well as how important this is compared with other commitments, for example in cases where our membership of a particular group means we cannot make decisions for ourself but have to do so collectively. In particular,...

The way in which society views addiction underlies how it treats, understands, blames, or even punishes those with addictive behaviours. This thought-provoking new book presents an original philosophical analysis bringing together addiction and weakness of will. Within the book, the author develops an integrated account of these two phenomena, rooted in a classical conception of akrasia as valuing without intending and at the same time intending without valuing. This fascinating and suggestive account addresses a number of paradoxes faced by current thinking about addiction and weakness of...