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Regular LessWrong reader, infrequent LW contributor here. I think the problem with akrasia is it's a lot like "being sick" - if you call your physician on the

Regular LessWrong reader, infrequent LW contributor here. I think the problem with akrasia is it's a lot like "being sick" - if you call your physician on the phone and say, "I'm sick" he won't be able to really help you without further diagnosis. Seems like akrasia could be any one of a couple dozen things (fear of failure, fear of success, habit, chemical addiction, many more things). We're not at a point in anti-akrasia/rationality/motivation/etc to be able to accurately diagnose and treat all of the causes of it. I think we'll get there, though. Someday. Quite a ways off. But progress is being made. In the meantime, I'll second Ryan's recommendation for the book. It's good.

yters 16y ago
We also may just not be able to fix it. Some things we just can't do, regardless of our science and engineering. For example, we are the most prosperous civilization in history, yet we have record rates of suicide and unhappiness compared to more "backward" civilizations. In fact, the 20th century has been the most horrific in the history of the world, yet it was also the most advanced. If akrasia is something we can "fix," why haven't we fixed it by now? Surely not for lack of trying.
- jodrellblank 16y ago
  I don't see much evidence of trying, and where I do see evidence of trying I see a lot of "fixing". I see Buddhists and meditators fix their problem of "I want to do something but can't make myself do it" by erasing the "want" part, I see disciplinarians and organisers strengthening their ability to make themselves do things and meditators and organisers reduce the obstacles in their way of doing things. How many people do you know who have one or two self help books which they read (or partly read) but didn't really act on? Does that count as trying? How many schools and colleges and night schools do you know which have courses in "curing yourself of procrastination"? Any? It still seems very much stuck in the past, like natural philosophers talking about phlogiston. Some self help techniques work, but finding which you click with and doing them right and keeping trying until you get results and avoiding the dross and doing so while not being affected by whatever problems you have that you want to change isn't a simple thing and people generally don't seem to "try hard" at it (in the right ways).

yters 16y ago

We also may just not be able to fix it. Some things we just can't do, regardless of our science and engineering. For example, we are the most prosperous civilization in history, yet we have record rates of suicide and unhappiness compared to more "backward" civilizations. In fact, the 20th century has been the most horrific in the history of the world, yet it was also the most advanced. If akrasia is something we can "fix," why haven't we fixed it by now? Surely not for lack of trying.

jodrellblank 16y ago
I don't see much evidence of trying, and where I do see evidence of trying I see a lot of "fixing". I see Buddhists and meditators fix their problem of "I want to do something but can't make myself do it" by erasing the "want" part, I see disciplinarians and organisers strengthening their ability to make themselves do things and meditators and organisers reduce the obstacles in their way of doing things. How many people do you know who have one or two self help books which they read (or partly read) but didn't really act on? Does that count as trying? How many schools and colleges and night schools do you know which have courses in "curing yourself of procrastination"? Any? It still seems very much stuck in the past, like natural philosophers talking about phlogiston. Some self help techniques work, but finding which you click with and doing them right and keeping trying until you get results and avoiding the dross and doing so while not being affected by whatever problems you have that you want to change isn't a simple thing and people generally don't seem to "try hard" at it (in the right ways).