ABSTRACT
The author outlines how the passions were understood within this broader conception of the mind by three well-known philosophers of the Renaissance, namely Marsilio Ficino (1433-1499), Bernardino Telesio (1508-1588), and Tommaso Campanella (1568-1639). He outlines (1) Telesio's conception of universal sensation, (2) the function and meaning of the spirit, and (3) the role of the passions in his argumentation for a theory of the human soul. Telesio's argument runs as follows: The spirit desires primarily its self-preservation and becomes sad (tristatur) when it encounters things that are contrary to this goal. Ficino, Telesio, and Campanella, shared the view that the passions are not dysfunctions of the mind, but indispensable means to engage with the surrounding world. According to Telesio, human passions are not opposed to rational conduct, nor are they attributed to an irrational part of the soul.
