Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- Acknowledgments
- A note on the texts
- Introduction
- Part 1 THE PASSIONS IN GENERAL
- Part 2 PARTICULAR PASSIONS: THE CONCUPISCIBLE PASSIONS
- 5 Love
- 6 Hatred and concupiscence
- 7 Pleasure
- 8 Sorrow
- Part 3 PARTICULAR PASSIONS: THE IRASCIBLE PASSIONS
- Bibliography
- Index
8 - Sorrow
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 July 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- Acknowledgments
- A note on the texts
- Introduction
- Part 1 THE PASSIONS IN GENERAL
- Part 2 PARTICULAR PASSIONS: THE CONCUPISCIBLE PASSIONS
- 5 Love
- 6 Hatred and concupiscence
- 7 Pleasure
- 8 Sorrow
- Part 3 PARTICULAR PASSIONS: THE IRASCIBLE PASSIONS
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Of all the discussions of the particular passions, the treatment of sorrow is the longest, taking five Questions. Aquinas begins by distinguishing sorrow in the proper sense from pain, whether “interior” or “exterior,” and notes multiple species of sorrow (§8.1). Whatever causes the apprehension of something as a present evil is capable of generating sorrow. Aquinas reduces to four the factors that bring about the required apprehension (§8.2). In light of his view that sorrow is a passion in the most proper sense of the term, whereby a person is acted upon for the worse, one might expect Aquinas to dwell upon the negative effects of sorrow. But this is not his emphasis. On the contrary, Aquinas stresses that when regulated by reason, sorrow is a natural passion that can deepen the soul and prepare it for the gift of true humility (§8.3). Even so, it is appropriate to seek “remedies” for pain and sorrow. These range from the most cerebral (contemplation) to the most earthly (sleep and warm baths) (§8.4). Though the prolonged experience of sorrow does not befit the nature of the human person, Aquinas does not think that sorrow ought to be eliminated in this life. He concludes the treatment of sorrow by clarifying the difference between “moderate” and “immoderate” sorrow (§8.5).
THE NATURE OF PAIN AND SORROW
Of all the passions, sorrow or sadness (tristitia) is “most properly” said to be a passion (22.1.co; compare 41.1.co).
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Thomas Aquinas on the PassionsA Study of Summa Theologiae, 1a2ae 22–48, pp. 188 - 212Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2009