Ancient Views on Emotions

1. Ancient Views on Emotions

2. What is an emotion? • The term “emotion” is relatively new and current scholars disagree on an exact definition of emotion • What is agreed upon is what emotions usually consist of: physiological arousal, a subjective experience, and some sort of behavioral component (usually a facial expression). • Pre-18th century scholars and philosophers use a variety of terms that fall under this “definition” • Affections, passions, motions, movements

3. Pre-Socratic Views • Describe emotions in terms of ancient understanding of the body. • Empedocles proposes that pleasure and pain are caused by different proportions of the basic elements within the human body (earth, water, air, and fire).Similar ideas were shared with Democritus and Hippocrates. A similar theory would persist in Galen’s writings • These early scholars also seem to focus on discussion of pleasure and pain, rather than a variety of specific emotions.

4. Aristotle • Aristotle wrote much about emotions throughout his different treatise in ethics and rhetoric; he wasn’t particularly interested in a theory of emotions for its own sake. • “That which leads ones' condition to become so transformed that his judgment is affected and which is accompanied by pleasure or pain." - from Art of Rhetoric • Aristotle was mainly interested in emotions as they related to judgment, perception, and motivation. • Observed how the passions would affect rational decision making, particular in the arena of persuasion and rhetoric

5. Aristotle • Emotions were neither good nor bad, but all emotions had positive and negative qualities about them • Anger came with both pain and pleasure • Argued that emotions can influence rational thought, and that discipline be applied to bring emotions under control of rationality • The idea of the Golden Mean • Aristotle also recognizes that emotions are accompanied by physiological changes in the body • First to propose theory of catharsis

6. Stoicism • Stoic philosophers were interested in emotions with the intent of abandoning them. The Stoics sought to be liberated from passions in order to achieve apatheia. This led to the good life.

7. Stoic views of Emotions Chrysippus Galen Greek physician who also saw emotions as problematic and obtrusive to reason. Rather than mental causes, emotions arise from uneven proportions in the humors, drawing from Hippocrates theory Interestingly, Galen proposed no medical remedy for controlling the passions, but rather through careful discipline • Posed the first “cognitive” theory of emotions • Ideas later mimicked by Seneca • In his view, emotions are evaluations, incorrect judgments about yourself, the world, or your place in it. • Tiger Example • Four basic passions • Distress • Pleasure • Fear • Epithumia

8. Medieval Scholarship of Emotions • In general, the Stoic, negative view of emotions bled into Christian dogma • The seven deadly sins published around this time are emotional in nature (gluttony, lust, avarice, envy, anger, sloth, and pride) • Despite this negative view of the passion, scholars like St. Augustine and Thomas Aquinas present neutral writings on the emotions, and don’t damn the passions unless they interfere with the most important emotion: love of God

9. Thomas Aquinas • In his Summa Theologia, Aquinas offer the most comprehensive discussion of emotions to date. • Drawing heavily from Aristotle, he argues that emotions in themselves are neither good nor bad • Emotions are a faculty of animal soul • Animal soul is shared by both man and animals • Therefore emotions in themselves are not sinful • But Aquinas also warned that without reason, powerful emotions can lead to sin

10. Thomas Aquinas • Aquinas equates emotions with motivations; emotions are what drives the actions of man. • Two types of emotions: affective and spirited • Affective emotions are those that are motivating, but don’t come with any sort of physiological arousal • Spirited emotions come with strong physiological arousal

11. Thomas Aquinas • Proposed 11 emotions, 10 of which were paired in opposites • Affective emotions • Love and Hate • Desire and Aversion • Pleasure and Sadness • Spirited emotions • Hope and Despair • Fear and Courage • Anger (doesn't have a pair) • Aquinas goes into detail with each of these emotions, discussing their physiological change, external cause, and possible behavior associated.