VII. OF THE AFFECTIVE MOVEMENTS IN MAN WHICH ARE CALLED THE PASSIONS
Are there not in man certain other affective acts which can contribute towards the reward of his life, other than the acts of his will?
Yes, there are other affective acts in man.
What are they called?
They are called the "passions"
What is understood by the passions?
By passions are understood affective movements of the sensitive part of man's soul.
Is it only man that has these affective movements in the sensitive part of his soul?
No, these affective movements of the sensitive part are to be found in all animals
Have these affective movements of the sensitive part in animals any moral worth?
No, these affective movements of the sensitive part in animals have no moral value; only in man have they a moral value.
Why is it that only in man these affective movements of the sensitive part are of moral value?
Because it is in man only that they are related with the higher acts of the free will in that they are subject to their rule
What precisely are these affective movements of the sensitive part in man and to which is given the name of passions?
These affective movements of the sensitive part in man and to which is given the name of passions, are movements of the heart which bear towards a good or withdraw from an evil tendered by the senses
How many kinds are there of these movements of the heart?
There are eleven (XXII. 4).
What are they called?
Their names are: "love," "desire," "delight" or "joy"; "hate," "abhorrence," "sadness," "hope," "courage," "fear," "despair," and "anger"
Do these movements of the heart occupy an important part in man's life?
Yes, these movements of the heart occupy a very important part in man's life.
Why is it that they occupy a very important part in man's life?
Because in man there is a twofold nature: rational and sensitive; the sensitive nature is the one that is moved first by the action of the external world in the midst of which we live and from which we derive even all the data of our rational life.
Are not then the movements of the heart or the passions always, of themselves, bad?
No, the movements of the heart or the passions are not of themselves always bad.
When are these movements of the heart or the passions bad?
When they are not in accord with the rulings of right reason.
And when are they not in accord with the rulings of right reason?
When they bear towards a sensible good or withdraw from a sensible evil by forestalling the judgment of the reason or by coming into play contrary to this judgment.
Is it only in the sensitive part of man that there are movements of love, desire, delight, hate, aversion, sadness, hope, daring, fear, despair, and anger?
These same movements are to be found also in the will.
What difference is there between these movements in so far as they are in the sensitive part, and in so far as they are in the will?
There is this difference, that in the sensitive part they always imply the co-operation of the organism or of the body, whereas in the will they are purely spiritual
When one speaks of movements of the heart, of which affective movements is there question, of those of the sensitive part or of those of the will?
Properly speaking, there is question of the movements of the sensitive part; but in a metaphorical sense there is a question also of those of the will.
When then one speaks of the heart of man, can there be question of this twofold sort of movement?
Yes, when one speaks of the heart of man, there can be question of this twofold kind of movement.
And when it is said of a man that he has heart, what is meant by that?
When it is said of a man that he has heart, one means to imply that at times he is affectionate and tender-hearted, of whatever kind of affection there may be question, whether of the purely sensitive or of the spiritual order, and at other times one means to imply that he is courageous and virile.
Why is it sometimes said and what is meant by saying that one must watch over one's heart?
When it is said that one must watch over one's heart, one means that it is necessary to take care lest one follow indiscreetly the first affective movements, especially of the sensitive order, which tend to make us seek what is pleasing and to shrink from what is displeasing.
One speaks sometimes of the training of the heart; what does this mean?
This means that one must endeavour to have only good affective movements.
This education of the heart, thus understood, is it of any importance?
Yes, for this education of the heart, thus understood, embraces the whole of man's activity in the acquisition of virtue and the shunning of vice.
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