The psychagogical function of the topos of anger in Greco-Roman moral philosophy

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dc.contributor.advisorThom, Johan Carl, 954-en_ZA
dc.contributor.authorPark, Jung Hoonen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2023-01-11T10:00:53Z
dc.date.accessioned2023-05-18T06:55:33Z
dc.date.available2023-01-11T10:00:53Z
dc.date.available2023-05-18T06:55:33Z
dc.date.issued2023-03
dc.description Thesis (DPhil)—Stellenbosch University, 2022.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the psychological tradition of ancient philosophy, emotions were an important topic frequently treated by philosophers with a concern for soul-care. The analogy between philosophy and medical science describes the ancient moral philosophical perspective on emotions. According to the analogy, a philosopher is a doctor, emotions are psychological illnesses, and philosophical discourse is medicine for the soul. This analogy provided the basic frame of the moral philosophical way of deploying arguments on emotions. As the worst kind of emotion, anger was dealt with in this context. Although scholars have observed that anger had been a traditional topic frequently treated in a conventional way by ancient philosophers since Aristotle, there has not been a systematic analysis of the way in which anger was treated as a topos. Accordingly, the present study conducts topos analysis on four moral philosophical treatises on anger written in Greco-Roman period, namely, Philodemus’ De ira, Seneca’s De ira, Plutarch’s De cohibenda ira, and Galen’s De proporiorum animi cuiuslibet affectuum dignotione et curatione. The aim of analysing anger as a topos is to describe the way in which the argument on anger is deployed, its function, and how it performs its function. All four authors deploy their arguments on anger under three headings: 1) what is anger; 2) why is anger to be eradicated; and 3) how is anger to be eradicated. This indicates that the authors discuss anger with a psychagogical concern for curing the soul by eradicating anger. Also, it is observed that the conflict between the monistic and multipartite psychological models is at work in progress throughout the topos of anger, and, that the topos of anger performs a protreptic role as well. The study shows that topos analysis is a valid and effective approach to ancient texts because a better understanding of topoi leads to a more nuanced reading of ancient texts by assisting us in mapping out the ancient intellectual universe.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractAFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In die psigologiese tradisie van antieke filosofie was emosies ‘n belangrike tema wat dikwels deur filosowe met ‘n belang in siele-sorg behandel is. Die analogie tussen filosofie en geneeskunde beskryf die antieke moreel-filosofiese perspektief op emosies. Hierdie analogie het die basiese raamwerk gebied vir die wyse waarop moreel-filosofiese filosowe argumente oor emosies aangewend het. Woede, as die ergste vorm van emosie, is in hierdie konteks hanteer. Hoewel geleerdes bemerk het dat woede ‘n tradisionele tema was wat reeds sedert Aristoteles dikwels op konvensionele wyse deur antieke filosowe behandel is, was daar nog nie ‘n sistematiese analise van die wyse waarop woede as ‘n topos behandel is nie. Dienooreenkomstig bied die huidige studie topos-analise van vier moreel-filosofiese verhandelinge oor woede wat in die Grieks-Romeinse tydperk geskryf is, naamlik Philodemus se De ira, Seneca se De ira, Plutarchus se De cohibenda ira, en Galenus se De proporiorum animi cuiuslibet affectuum dignotione et curatione. Die oogmerk om woede as ‘n topos te analiseer is om te beskryf hoe die argument oor woede aangewend is, wat sy funksie is, en hoe dit sy funksie verrig. Al vier skrywers wend hulle argumente oor woede onder drie hofies aan: 1) wat is woede; 2) waarom moet woede uitgeroei word; en 3) hoe woede uitgeroei moet word. Dit dui aan dat die skrywers woede met ‘n psigologiese belang vir die genesing van die siel deur die uitroeiing van woede bespreek. Daar kan ook gesien word dat die konflik tussen monistiese en meerdelige psigologiese modelle deurgaans aanwesig is in die topos van woede, en dat die topos van woede ook ‘n protreptiese rol vervul. Op grond van hierdie bevindinge word aangedui dat topos-analise ‘n geldige en effektiewe benadering tot antieke tekste is omdat ‘n beter begrip van topoi bydra tot ‘n meer genuanseerde lees van antieke tekste deurdat dit ons help om die antieke intellektuele universum te karteer.af_ZA
dc.description.versionDoctoralen_ZA
dc.format.extentxii, 257 pagesen_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/126914
dc.language.isoen_ZAen_ZA
dc.publisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.rights.holderStellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshEmotionsen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshEmotions (Philosophy)en_ZA
dc.subject.nameUCTD
dc.titleThe psychagogical function of the topos of anger in Greco-Roman moral philosophyen_ZA
dc.typeThesisen_ZA
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