Macrina - the "fourth" Cappadocian
Gregory of Nyssa and Basil the Great had an older sister named Macrina. Gregory had such affection and respect for his older sister that he followed her advice and became a monastic. Her role in his life is similar to that of Monica in Augustine's life. As a way to give her voice to others, Gregory immortalizes her in his own writings in a dialogue similar to that of Plato's treatment of Socrates. On the Soul and the Resurrection is the result of his conversations with her, shortly before her death.
In one of the questions he poses to her, Gregory asks Macrina about emotions. She replies that "emotions are neither virtuous nor wicked in themselves, since they are impulses of the soul which lie in the power of the users to serve good or otherwise. When their movement is toward the better, we shall declare that they are material for praise. If, on the other hand, their inclination is towards the worse, then they become passions and are named accordingly." She continues to explain this principle with the parable of the tares - the good seeds are our emotional impulses, the bad seeds are errors in our judgment of what is good. Turning the tables on how we think today - "it is the mind which misleads the emotions, not vice versa."
In one of the questions he poses to her, Gregory asks Macrina about emotions. She replies that "emotions are neither virtuous nor wicked in themselves, since they are impulses of the soul which lie in the power of the users to serve good or otherwise. When their movement is toward the better, we shall declare that they are material for praise. If, on the other hand, their inclination is towards the worse, then they become passions and are named accordingly." She continues to explain this principle with the parable of the tares - the good seeds are our emotional impulses, the bad seeds are errors in our judgment of what is good. Turning the tables on how we think today - "it is the mind which misleads the emotions, not vice versa."
posted by Tim at
11:07 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Perhaps the options are not an either/or as to whether the mind leads (or misleads) the emotions or vice versa. If emotions are understood as dispositions trained (whether by accident or intentionally) by the agent then the agent is choosing (whether by accident or intentionally) a disposition by training him/herself with certain emotions in light of certain stimuli and if they are dispositions as such then they are involuntary states that may mislead the mind, especially if the agent is not particularly rational. Certainly we can have errors of judgment as to what the good is, but in some cases could it not be the result of badly trained emotions?
Certainly there is a reciprocal relationship between reason and emotions. I think the point she is trying to get across is that we must avoid those things which lead to "passions" and cultivate those which lead to the good. It is a process of training the mind to deal with the emotions properly, one that must constantly be reevaluated to check ourselves against the passions. Thanks for the insight, I can always count on you to analyze it from a different angle!
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