5 results for: continence
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Incontinence
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Cite This SourceIncontinence is used in Medicine and Philosophy.
Medicine
Incontinence is the lack of voluntary control of excretory functions; the term is a contraction of a complete expression, such as "incontinence of urine" or "incontinence of feces".See also
- Urinary incontinence, the involuntary excretion of urine
- Fecal incontinence, the inability to control one's bowels
Philosophy
Incontinence ("a want of continence or self-restraint") is often used by philosophers to translate the Greek term Akrasia (Ακράσια). Often used to refer to a lacking in moderation or self-control, especially related to sexual desire.Aristotle in Book VII of Nicomachean Ethics described incontinence as knowing virtue, but not having habituated it to control passion. For example:
Though I know courage is a virtue and understand the benefit to my situation, I am a coward because I have not habituated courage and can't control of my fear.
[Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics, Book VII]
References
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Last updated on Monday February 25, 2008 at 12:50:37 PST (GMT -0800)
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