The Logic of Desire

When Thomas Aquinas Completed His Treatise on the Passions, it probably constituted the longest sustained discussion of the emotions ever written. His influence on medieval and early modern philosophy was enormous, overshadowing every other medieval author on the topic of emotion. Nonetheless, Aquinas's account of emotion remains neglected by contemporary philosophers and theologians.

With emotion emerging as a focus of interest in many disciplines, the time is ripe for a reconsideration of Aquinas's contribution. In The Logic of Desire, Nicholas Lombardo advances the recovery and critique of Aquinas's account of emotion, working in dialogue with contemporary analytic philosophy and the Thomist tradition. He considers Aquinas's thought on emotion in its historical context, inner logic, and ethical implications, and then offers an appraisal of its perennial value. --Book Jacket.