What to do with this formula?
Can we really believe it and, above all, what ideas underlie it?
To affirm that “when one wants, one can”, is first of all to say that it is enough to want in order to be able, as if from the will necessarily flowed action and as if the will itself could be decreed.
Behind this idea, therefore, hides that of a supposed laziness or inertia of those who would not be able to "succeed" or "get out of it".
Now, we can and, I think, must ask ourselves under what conditions the will is possible.
What do we need in fact to provide and, even more, support an effort?
Read alsoFrédéric Lenoir, philosopher: “As soon as we get something, our brain pushes us to want more”
Aïda N'Diaye is a graduate student and teacher of philosophy.
Florent Drillon
organic express
Aïda N'Diaye is a normalian and agrégé in philosophy.
She is a teacher, columnist and executive producer of the program
Avec philosophie,
on France Culture, author of articles, notably for
Philosophie Magazine
and
Jeune Afrique,
as well as books including
What makes my gender?
and
Do I really have merit?
in Gallimard's "Philophile" collection.
The weight of encouragement and opportunity
Take the example of the school setting.
Can we really assume that a child entering school would not want to succeed?
There is no reason why some children, from an early age, should be more ambitious or more determined than others, or, in any case, no reason why these differences should not be randomly distributed...
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