TRS 834A Morality and Emotion
An examination of the role of the emotions in the moral life. Particular topics include the nature of emotion (or "passion"), the similarities and differences between human and animal emotional responses, the relationship between the emotions and distinctively human powers of rationality, the impact of emotions on moral decision-making, and the human capacity to shape not just actions arising out of emotion but emotional responses themselves. Sources for the course include Christian and non-Christian texts in the Western tradition, beginning with Greek and Roman thinkers, continuing through giants in the Christian tradition such as Augustine and Aquinas, and concluding with contemporary philosophical, theological and some neurobiological research.