Thomas Aquinas on the Passions
Thomas Aquinas on the Passions
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The Summa Theologiae is Thomas Aquinas' undisputed masterwork, and it includes his thoughts on the elemental forces in human life. Feelings such as love, hatred, pleasure, pain, hope and despair were described by Aquinas as 'passions', representing the different ways in which happiness could be affected. But what causes the passions? What impact do they have on the person who suffers them? Can they be shaped and reshaped in order to better promote human flourishing? The aim of this book is to provide a better understanding of Aquinas' account of the passions. It identifies the Aristotelian influences that lie at the heart of the Summa Theologiae, and it enters into a dialogue with contemporary thinking about the nature of emotion. The study argues that Aquinas' work is still important today, and shows why for Aquinas both the understanding and attainment of happiness requires prolonged reflection on the passions.
- Enables the reader to better understand Aquinas' account of the passions
- Engages with secular as well as religious thinking on the subject of the Summa Theologiae
- Useful diagrams explain the complex relations between the various passions
Product details
April 2009Hardback
9780521897488
328 pages
235 × 158 × 20 mm
0.65kg
Available
Table of Contents
- Part I. The Passions in General:
- 1. The sensitive appetite
- 2. The definition of passion
- 3. The activation of passion
- 4. The morality of the passions
- Part II. Particular Passions: The Concupiscible Passions:
- 5. Love
- 6. Hatred and concupiscence
- 7. Pleasure
- 8. Sorrow
- Part III. Particular Passions: The Irascible Passions:
- 9. Hope and despair
- 10. Fear
- 11. Daring
- 12. Anger
- Epilogue: the passions, the virtues, and happiness.
