The ancient stoics believed that all the bad in our life were die to the passions. They therefore believed that they were evil and should be overcome or destroyed. To live a good life we have to deny our passions. This reminds me of the 2002 film Equilibrium starring Christian Bale. It is set after world war III and much of the world is in ruins. The survivors decide that all of the evil in the world like Hitler, Stalin and man's inhumanity to man is due to his emotions and his ability to feel. Therefore a drug named Prozium is invented which suppresses man's emotions. He doesn't fear, have joy or get angry. He is completely emotionless. There are no more wars and peace reigns with a secret police force terminating anyone who stops taking Prozium
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Magnanimity..............................Pusillanimity
Aristotle's view on the passions can be summed up by saying avoid extremes and seek moderation.
St. Thomas Aquinas rejects the stoic view of the passions and follows on from 'the philosopher'. He agrees that right reason is needed and that both intellect and will are needed to constitute a moral act. Thomas believed the passions were neither good nor bad in themselves, but with will and intellect can bring about good. So for Thomas it is reason which controls the passions. Therefore using St. Thomas' reason a child until he reaches the age of reason is completely at the whim of his passions.
So following on from Aristotle, Thomas takes the position that the passions can be tamed by the virtues.
St. Thomas believed that there are 11 passions. These are split into two groups which he called the concupisible and irascible appetites. The concupisible appetite deals with the passions of love and hatred, desire and aversion and joy and sadness. The irascible appetite deals with the passions of hope and despair fear and daring and anger which is the only passion to not have an opposite. The concupiscible passions deal with the absolute good. Any time we get temptations whether they be in relation to food or sexual, these are our concupiscible
Magnanimity..............................Pusillanimity
Aristotle's view on the passions can be summed up by saying avoid extremes and seek moderation.
St. Thomas Aquinas rejects the stoic view of the passions and follows on from 'the philosopher'. He agrees that right reason is needed and that both intellect and will are needed to constitute a moral act. Thomas believed the passions were neither good nor bad in themselves, but with will and intellect can bring about good. So for Thomas it is reason which controls the passions. Therefore using St. Thomas' reason a child until he reaches the age of reason is completely at the whim of his passions.
So following on from Aristotle, Thomas takes the position that the passions can be tamed by the virtues.
St. Thomas believed that there are 11 passions. These are split into two groups which he called the concupisible and irascible appetites. The concupisible appetite deals with the passions of love and hatred, desire and aversion and joy and sadness. The irascible appetite deals with the passions of hope and despair fear and daring and anger which is the only passion to not have an opposite. The concupiscible passions deal with the absolute good. Any time we get temptations whether they be in relation to food or sexual, these are our concupiscible