Abstract

This paper offers a reconstruction of Descartes’s theory of the emotions, with special focus on the virtue “générosité” which he proposed as the master virtue to help humans manage and control their desires so that they can achieve the highest level of happiness which transcends the unpredictability and arbitrariness of fate. It first provides an analysis of Descartes’s notion of “divine providence,” “vain desires,” and “regret ;” then proceeds to offer an investigation of “générosité” both as an emotion and as a virtue ; and concludes with an examination of “générosité” as a tool to master and control the emotions.