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CannibalSmith comments on Ask LessWrong: Human cognitive enhancement now? - Less Wrong
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Well, why don't you? And everyone else who complains about their "somehow" not exercising. It's a common complaint, even here on LW, where one might expect people to have already risen above such elementary failures of rationality.
This is not a rhetorical question. I speak as someone who does exercise, as a matter of course, every day, and have done for my entire adult life. (Before then, I wasn't averse to exercise, I just didn't give it much attention.) So I do not know what it is like, to not be this person.
So, what is it like, to be someone who thinks they should be doing that, but doesn't? What is going on when you see in front of you the choice to bike to work, to do 20 press-ups right now, to get a set of dumbbells and use them every day, or whatever -- and then not even click the "No" button on the dialog floating in the air in front of you, but just turn away from the choice?
Likewise, every other actual practice that you think would be a good thing for you to do. If you think that, and you are not doing it, why?
Calling it akrasia looks like a way of getting to not fix it.
From my experience, I can say that my motivation is external to me.
In summer of 2007 I got up at 5 AM and jogged because I read a motivational article and discovered that I like witnessing the sunrise. My motivation dissipated as soon as autumn came. Last summer I resolved to lift weights but failed. This year I read Playing to Win and saw a friend of mine who has been exercising for a year; and now I'm going to the gym three times a week.
So why am I not doing this or that? Because I lack a suitable source of motivation.
Can you rewrite that explanation while tabooing "motivation"?
From my experience, I can say that whether I do things I want to do (and which ones) depends largely on the environment.
In summer of 2007 I got up at 5 AM and jogged because I read an article describing the benefits of rising early and upon trying it out discovered that I like witnessing the sunrise. As autumn came it became increasingly difficult to get up in darkness until I stopped. Last summer I thought wanted to lift weights but I didn't do anything. This year I read Playing to Win and saw a friend of mine who has been exercising for a year; and now I'm going to the gym three times a week.
So why am I not doing this or that? Because my external world lacks enough stuff that would change the default action from do-nothing to something else.