Children's pleasures and moral development in Stoicism
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14195/1984-249X_36_05Keywords:
children; quasi-pleasure; emotion; primary impulse; virtueAbstract
The Stoics, particularly Chrysippus, are often criticized for their dismissal of children’s emotions and their ambiguity on children’s emotional development. While they claimed that children lack genuine emotions, they seem to acknowledge that certain emotional states in children are problematic. Galen tried to resolve this "dilemma" by presupposing a persistent irrational part or power within the soul that was capable of generating emotions. This paper challenges this interpretation by zooming in on pleasure for analysis. It argues that the Stoics, in addition to attributing neutral sensory pleasure to children, seem to suggest that children experience a form of quasi-pleasure analogous to mental pleasure or delight. However, this distinct "pleasure" does not arise from a persistent irrational aspect of the soul, but rather from erroneous perceptions and quasi-beliefs about what is the good, which may later develop into a full-fledged belief. Due to pleasure’s good-like appearance, without appropriate guidance and a favorable environment, children’s impulse to preserve the constitution in accordance with nature may transform into a pleasure-seeking impulse. However, in view of its incentive power to achieve valuable things, pleasure can play a positive role in children’s emotional education.
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