Aristotle’s theory of emotions
Özet
This paper reconstruct a general picture of Aristotle’s theory of
emotion developed in his major works. Most commentators express
hesitation about whether it is possible to reconstruct such a theory of
emotion in Aristotle’s philosophy. Though I agree with much of the
concern they raise, I still believe that there exists a coherent, somehow
well-grounded, theory of emotion in Aristotle’s philosophy. I argue that
Aristotle’s account of emotion cannot be interpreted as a pure
cognitivism, like the Stoic’s theory of emotion, or as a strong
physicalism. Identifying different aspects of Aristotle’s account of
emotion, I have tried to demonstrate that there is a logical and
conceptual connection between these different aspects such that both
cognitive and affective aspects co-exist in his theory of emotions.
Section one and two provide the metaphysical and psychological bases
of Aristotle’s theory of emotion. Section three is an attempt to identify
the physical aspect of emotions in Aristotle, the aspect which he takes
as essential to emotions. The cognitive aspect, in section four, deals
with emotions in terms of beliefs, intentionality, and having the power
of changing judgments. I conclude the paper with a discussion on the
relationship between action and emotion in Aristotle.
