Abstract

This chapter examines Stoic thinking on the good emotions of the wise, rather than their much better-known ideas about misguided or foolish emotions. It asks whether the picture given by our sources of the character and scope of the positive emotions shows that they can make an adequate contribution to what we can recognize as a rich human life. The main sources considered are Andronicus’s doxographical treatment, Epictetus’s Discourses and the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, the last of which is discussed in some depth. It is argued that Marcus especially helps to bring out the range and depth of the Stoic positive emotions, and the discussion shows how they fit into a full human life, which gives room for deeply felt interpersonal relationships.