Summary of Stoic Romanticism and the Ethics of Emotion

Stoic Romanticism and the Ethics of Emotion explores how Stoic and Romantic ideas can inform contemporary moral theory. Examining the works of Kant, Schiller, and Hegel, authors Dana N. Villa and Rachel Zuckert examine how Stoic and Romantic conceptions of emotion, and the relation of emotions to reason, affect their attempts at moral theory. Kant sees virtues in Stoic indifference and restraint. Schiller's Aesthetic Education develops a refined Stoic proposal concerning emotional self-management, while his Letters on the Aesthetic Education of Man proposes a Romantic account of beauty and creative emotion. Finally, Hegel develops a synthesis of these two traditions, maintaining that the refusal to partake in the emotional life of the community and the world not only undermines one's ethical integrity but also prevents genuine freedom. Exposing the flaws and strengths of each philosopher's idea, the authors critique respective theories and provide new perspectives on the role and meaning of emotions for moral development.