Emotions in Renaissance Philosophy

The philosophical study of the emotions during the Renaissance constitutes a rather multifaceted phenomenon. Emotions were discussed in many different contexts and with different motivations. These discussions were influenced by a variety of theories from different and often diverging traditions, which resulted in complex ways of treating them. This diversity is also reflected on a terminological level. Emotions were often discussed as passions (passiones) of the soul, but also as affects (affectus) or affections (affectiones). Other terms that were sometimes employed are motions (moti), disturbances (perturbationes), or diseases (morbi) of the soul. During the Renaissance, scholastic philosophers were mainly engaged in analyzing, commenting, and comparing medieval theories of the emotions. The focus was on questions dealing with their definition and classification, as well as their cognitive content and how they can be rationally controlled. Medieval theories of the emotions were also popularized through textbooks, such as Gregor Reisch’s influential Margarita philosophica (1503). An essential part of the humanist treatment of the emotions is, on the other hand, represented by consolatory and therapeutic writings, such as letters to friends, works of self-consolation, and dialogues. In these works, the humanists were not primarily interested in questions dealing with the definition or classification of the emotions. The aim was rather to offer practical remedies for different kinds of emotional distress. For this purpose, they made use mainly of philosophical arguments derived from ancient sources.