Laziness, despair, and acedia

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So the title of my thread is “Laziness, despair, and acedia”. My question is are all these different names for the same thing or are there very important distinctions between the three? I was told that in the history of Catholic thought, Acedia is synonymous with sloth and the term was used by John Cassian to describe a spiritual illness in monks whose symptoms are listlessness and a lack of purpose. This sounds a whole lot like despair. Furthermore, a person can be a hard worker and still be slothful (if he/she is doing work but doesn’t care about its purpose or sees no meaning in it).
This description of sloth seems to conflict with the narrow definition favored by most modern Americans. As far as I can tell, laziness is commonly defined as simply being an unwillingness to work. The description of acedia I just gave, however, suggests one can be under the sway of sloth while at the same time being a hard worker to all appearances. Can anyone recommend any good **academic** books on the subject? Also, what definition of laziness do you prefer? Do you think saying that someone is slothful while "working hard" at the same time is unfair?
 
One can be busy without being industrious. Laziness in the modern sense can be pretending to be busy by doing things that are not really helping.

However, one can have the appearance of not doing anything and really being quite industrious. Thinkers, imaginers, and idea-people - writers, critics, that sort of thing - are accustomed to using their minds more than their matter.

Acedia and sloth are complex things. But, generally, purposelessness - that’s actually a pretty god criteria for acedia.
 
+JMJ+

I am sorry for the late response. I noticed this thread more than a week ago and I have been meaning to answer in it, because I have known for some time that acedia is my root sin (see this post I made a few months ago). The reason that I have not is that, like the two of you, I have not discovered a good way to counter this vice.

I then ordered and read this book, The Noonday Devil: Acedia, the Unnamed Evil of Our Times, and I think I have found the way to battle this root sin of mine.

It is a thorough, enlightening book on acedia. I was very surprised to learn how complex this capital sin is; indeed it is probably the most dangerous capital sin because precisely of its complexity, in that it is hard to identify its presence and its effects on one’s life.

Yet in spite of its complexity, it has a very simple remedy: joyful perseverance in realizing Jesus’ Incarnation in your life. But this simple remedy will probably be hard to implement—perhaps even hard to understand the words I have just typed—without understanding what acedia is according to Evagrius Ponticus and St. Thomas Aquinas, especially considering the teachings of William of Okham and Emmanuel Kant on libertas indifferentiae made acedia more difficult to combat.

Fortunately, this book explains all of these, and thus I highly recommend it.
 
I also recommend Despondency: The Spiritual Teaching of Evagrius of Pontus, fr. Gabriel Bunge. This is an analysis of the 4th century desert father’s writings on the acedia, translated in the book as “despondency”.

fr. Gabriel quotes Evagrius on the remdies of this malady:
Steadfastness, and that one does everything with great care, fear of God and perservance, (these) heal despondency. Set for yourself a goal in every task and do not rise from it until you have finished it. And pray unceasingly, and express yourself concisely, and the spirt of despondency will flee from you.
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+JMJ+
Symeon said:
I also recommend Despondency: The Spiritual Teaching of Evagrius of Pontus, fr. Gabriel Bunge. This is an analysis of the 4th century desert father’s writings on the acedia, translated in the book as “despondency”.

fr. Gabriel quotes Evagrius on the remdies of this malady:
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I actually have that book too, and one has to choose either of the two I would recommend The Noonday Devil: Acedia, the Unnamed Evil of Our Times. As I noted in the previous post, The Noonday Devil discussed in depth Evagrius of Pontus’ writings on acedia, and comparing it to Despondency: The Spiritual Teaching of Evagrius of Pontus I would say that one would not miss much if the latter was not bought.
 
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