Passions and Moral Progress in Greco-Roman Thought by Fitzgerald, John T.;

Short description:

This book presents a collection of 13 articles on the topic of  "the passions" and their connection with moral advancement in ancient Greece and Rome. Writers discussed include the Cynics, the Neopythagorians, Aristotle and Ovid.

Long description:

This book contains a collection of 13 essays from leading scholars on the relationship between passionate emotions and moral advancement in Greek and Roman thought. 

Recognising that emotions played a key role in whether individuals lived happily, ancient philosophers extensively discussed the nature of "the passions", showing how those who managed their emotions properly would lead better, more moral lives. 

The contributions are preceded by an introdution to the subject by John Fitzgerald.  Writers discussed include the Cynics, the Neopythagorians, Aristotle and Ovid; the discussion encompasses philosophy, literature and religion.

'This multi-disciplinary book is a significant contribution to recent research on the emotions and moral progress' – Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"First rate contributions to understanding how the passions were construed to help or hinder moral progress in classical antiquity . . . Of interest to many classicists, biblical scholars, and historians of philosophy." -- Religious Studies Review

Table of Contents:

An Introduction  Part 1: Philosophy Aristotle and Theophrastus on the Emotions, William W Fortenbaugh.  The Problem of the Passions in Cynicism, David E Aune.  The Passions in Neopythagorean Writings, Johan C Thom.  'Be Angry and Sin Not: Philodemus versus the Stoics on Natural Bites and Natural Emotions, David Armstrong.  Early Roman Empire Stoics, Edgar M Krentz.  Plutarch on Moral Progress, Richard A Wright.  Part 2: Philosophy and Literature  Passion and Progress in Ovid's Metamorphoses, S Georgia Nugent.  The Lassions in Galen and the Novels of Chariton and Xenophon, Loveday C A Alexander.  Part 3: Philosophy and Religion  Philo of Alexandria on the Rational and Irrational Emotions, David Winston.  Passions in the Pauline Epistles: The Current State of Research, David Charles Aune.  The Logic of Action in Paul: How Does He Differ from the Moral Philosophers on Spiritual and Moral Progression and Regression?, Troels Engberg-Pedersen.  Moral Progress and Divine Power in Seneca and Paul, James Ware.  Moral Pathology: Passions, Progress and Protreptic in Clement of Alexandria, L Michael White.  Bibliography.  Index .