Addiction and Self-Control: Perspectives from Philosophy, Psychology, and Neuroscience (Oxford Series in Neuroscience, Law, and Philosophy)

This book brings together a set of papers, many which grow out of presentations at a conference in Oxford in 2009 on addiction and self-control, by a set of thinkers who are united in believing that understanding agency and failures of agency requires engagement with the best science. The papers it collects attempts to illuminate the mechanisms involved in addiction and thereby to understand to what degree and in what ways actions driven by addiction are controlled by the agent, express his or her will or values, and the extent to which addicts are responsible for what they do. Some of the papers focus on the neuropsychological mechanisms involved, especially on the role of the midbrain dopamine system. Others focus on features of the behavior and the extent to which we can infer psychological mechanisms from behavior. The authors debate the best interpretation of the scientific evidence and how the scientific evidence bears upon, or can only be understand in the light of, philosophical theorizing about agency, control and responsibility. Addiction Seems To Involve A Significant Degree Of Loss Of Control Over Behaviour, Yet It Remains Mysterious How Such A Loss Of Control Occurs And How It Can Be Compatible With The Retention Of Agency. This Collection, Which Arose Out Of A Conference Held At The University Of Oxford, Brings Together Philosophers, Neuroscientists And Psychologists With The Aim Of Understanding This Loss Of Control From A Perspective Informed By Cutting-edge Science And Philosophical Reflection. Addiction And Self-control : Perspectives From Philosophy, Psychology, And Neuroscience / Neil Levy -- Money As Macguffin : A Factor In Gambling And Other Process Addictions / George Ainslie -- The Picoeconomics Of Gambling Addiction And Supporting Neural Mechanisms / Don Ross -- Team Reasoning, Framing, And Self-control : An Aristotelian Account / Natalie Gold -- Phenomenal Authority : The Epistemic Authority Of Alcoholics Anonymous / Owen Flanagan -- Varieties Of Valuation In The Normal And Addicted Brain : Legal And Policy Implications From A Neuroscience Perspective / Mark E. Walton And Nicholas A. Nasrallah -- Are Addicts Responsible? / Walter Sinnott-armstrong -- Just Say No? Addiction And The Elements Of Self-control / Jeanette Kennett -- Addiction In Context : Philosophical Lessons From A Personality Disorder Clinic / Hanna Pickard And Steve Pearce -- Are Addicts Akratic? Interpreting The Neuroscience Of Reward / Gideon Yaffe -- Addiction And Blameworthiness / Timothy Schroeder And Nomy Arpaly -- Addiction Between Compulsion And Choice / Richard Holton And Kent Berridge. Edited By Neil Levy. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Content: Table of Contents Contributors 1. Introduction: Addiction and Self-Control: Perspectives from Philosophy, Psychology and Neuroscience - Neil Levy 2. Money as MacGuffin: A Factor in Gambling and Other Process Addictions - George Ainsle 3. The Picoeconomics of Gambling Addiction and Supporting Neural Mechanisms - Don Ross 4. Team Reasoning, Framing and Self-Control: An Aristotelian Account - Natalie Gold 5. Phenomenal Authority: The Epistemic Authority of Alcoholics Anonymous - Owen Flanagan 6. Varieties of Valuation in the Normal and Addicted Brain: Legal and Policy Implications from a Neuroscience Perspective - Mark Walton and Nicholas Nasrallah 7. Are Addicts Responsible? - Walter Sinnott-Armstrong 8. Just Say No? Addiction and the Elements of Self-Control - Jeanette Kennett 9. Addiction in Context: Philosophical Lessons from a Personality Disorder Clinic - Hanna Pickard and Steve Pearce 10. Are Addicts Akratic? Interpreting the Neuroscience of Reward - Gideon Yaffe 11. Addiction and Blameworthiness - Timothy Schroeder and Nomy Arpaly 12. Addiction Between Choice and Compulsion - Richard Holton and Kent Berridge Index Addiction seems to involve a significant degree of loss of control over behaviour, yet it remains mysterious how such a loss of control occurs and how it can be compatible with the retention of agency. This collection, which arose out of a conference held at the University of Oxford, brings together philosophers, neuroscientists and psychologists with the aim of understanding this loss of control from a perspective informed by cutting-edge science and philosophical reflection. Read more... Abstract: This book brings cutting edge neuroscience and psychology into dialogue with philosophical reflection to illuminate the loss of control experienced by addicts, and thereby cast light on ordinary agency and the way in which it sometimes goes wrong. Read more...