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We Have Met The Enemy: Self-Control In An Age Of Excess (2011)

by Daniel Akst(Favorite Author)

3.42 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1594202818 (ISBN13: 9781594202810)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Penguin Press HC, The

review 1: I simply cannot say enough good things about this work, and would not know where to start were I preparing a "serious" review. Perhaps such a review would be more appropriate upon a re-read, but as things currently stand I must disqualify myself from doing any such thing. I am simply too close too overcome, deer in the headlights style, to meet what I consider a minimum of objectivity.The only specific comment I feel comfortable in making: I do not think I have ever squirmed in my chair as I did when reading the chapter on procrastination, and the sections where "first order" and "second order" desires come into conflict. It is as though Akst was describing me without knowing me. And that is all I will say on this one at present.
review 2: A fun, accessible boo... morek Akst does a fine job of exploring the issue of agency in a world of plenty. He argues that the fact that we face these choices is a positive thing, it means that we have enough security and prosperity to worry about getting fat, however the greatest threat to our own wellbeing has become our ability to control ourselves. No longer will scarcity reign us in, for the first time in history we have to depend on the strength of our will alone to stay in shape, not to cheat, and so forth. He offers what he thinks is a method for dealing with the Herculean challenge via moderation as was explicated by Aristotle. He also rightly castigates Freud and his legacy and includes fascinating material about the harmfulness of emotional venting.Overall I liked his book, and taken for what it is, a light, popular exploration of a variety of topics about self control in the contemporary age, it is thought provoking. However I did think Akst made a couple of mistakes. One is that he seems to advocate for some kind of physicalist position on mind-body dualism yet advocates very clearly for libertarian free will. Good luck with that. The second is that he seems to assume that people vote for their own self interest. This is important because he seems to advocate for a mild paternalism in policy making. But in actuality the problem isn't that we vote for our self interest, it is that people consistently vote for what they perceive to be in the best interests of the nation and often our views are rather confused on that level. less

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