Member-only story
Stoicism, emotions, and the “irrational tug”
The Stoics evolved a remarkably modern and effective view of emotions
One of the most persisting stereotypes about the Stoics is that we go around sporting a stiff upper lip, constantly trying to suppress our emotions. Kind of a bunch of Mr. Spock from Star Trek. With all due respect to Spock, one of my favorite characters from that or any franchise, nope, that ain’t it.
The Stoics divided emotions into two broad categories: healthy ones, known as eupatheiai (singular, eupatheia) and unhealthy ones, referred to as pathē (singular, pathos, the root of the modern English word “pathology”). The unhealthy emotions are also referred to as “passions,” not as in “I have a passion for classical music,” but rather as in “I’m getting really angry and I’m going to punch someone.”
[Before we proceed any further: by far the best, and arguably definitive treatment of Stoic emotions is found in a highly recommended book by Margaret Graver. You’ll find a short authorized summary here.]
What determines the healthy or unhealthy status of an emotion is whether, it is aligned with reason or tends to counter and overwhelm it. For instance, love for one’s partner, children, and friends, or — more broadly — love for humanity (philanthropia) are all eupatheiai, because…
