Feelings transformed

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What are emotions, and how do they arise? This book explores these questions, focusing on medieval and early modern theories. It examines a range of authors, from Aquinas to Spinoza, who provided sophisticated accounts of human emotions, particularly regarding how we cope with and potentially change or overcome them. The authors believed that understanding the cognitive content of emotions is essential for transformation. Thus, the work highlights the close relationship between theories of emotions and cognition. Additionally, it emphasizes the significance of the metaphysical framework in shaping these theories. The analysis begins with the Aristotelian framework and progresses through skeptical, dualist, and monist perspectives, detailing how each explains the nature of emotions. The discussion also considers the theological and scientific contexts, as shifts in these areas often introduced new challenges, such as those related to the love of God, the joy of resurrected souls, and the fear experienced by a soul within a body. These issues are thoroughly examined through close textual analysis, revealing the complexities and nuances of emotional theory in historical thought.