Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book prefers to situate reflection on the nature of human passions at the interstices of political thought and ethics, literature and epistemology, religious belief and social praxis. It aims to hierarchies the emotions in way, but one follow the lead of early modern writers in thinking that argument about subject is intensely philosophical. It also reflects these inter-disciplinary objectives. The book examines the conceive selfhood in terms that encompass the broadest framework of human society, exchange and institutional structure. Whereas the emotions were once thought of as a distinctively modern philosophical concern, it is now apparent, says James Tully that the passions were at the heart of early modern philosophy. Passions and Subjectivity in Early Modern Culture aims to make connections between embodiment, selfhood and the passions in order to suggest cognitive and bodily model of the self and models for interactive and inter-disciplinary history.