Conference Presentations by Pía Valenzuela
Fredrickson calls positivity resonance those experiences of connection in social interactions cha... more Fredrickson calls positivity resonance those experiences of connection in social interactions characterized by shared positive emotions, including psychophysical synchrony and mutual care. It requires the capacity of social cognition, emotional recognition, and yet more basically, the perception of the other. Based on those psychologists and some phenomenologists (mainly Scheler and Stein), we intend to clarify those concepts, understanding sympathy as a positive emotion, and highlighting our affective consciousness and capacity for social cognition.
Magda B. Arnold (1903-2002) was one of the prominent female contributors of the mid-20th century ... more Magda B. Arnold (1903-2002) was one of the prominent female contributors of the mid-20th century on emotion research. She coined the term 'appraisal' as the initial assessment that starts the emotional sequence and arouses both the appropriate actions and the emotional experience itself, so that the physiological changes, recognized as important, accompany, but do not initiate, the actions and experiences. 1 With this, she put the basis of the appraisal theory of emotions-which Richard S. Lazarus built on her theory-2 moving toward the cognitive approaches predominant nowadays. However, her voice has been silenced and her work has not been fully recognized, getting few quotations in contemporary research. 3 In a period of increasing physiological research, she criticized reductive explanations of emotions from behaviourism and physiology. She oriented her work using phenomenological insights, thus integrating the psychological, behavioural and neurophysiological aspects on the experience of emotions. Not being a Philosopher by formation, she was influenced by the philosophical thought of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas, which offered her some concrete philosophical basis and critical check on her own theory. This determined the way of her contribution to interdisciplinary work and integrative view on issues like mind-brain relation, cognitive and moral aspects of emotions research. My aim is to offer first a brief view of Arnold's theory of emotion in historical perspective, placing her work and life in the context of her times. Secondly, I want to highlight her broader theory of human emotion integrated into the overall development of a person's life and actions, trying to uncover her intellectual work on the integration of Philosophy and Psychology perspectives. I hope also to shed some light into the current dialogue many scholars from both disciplines are looking for, despite the epistemological and methodological differences.
There is a significant continuity between G.E.M. Anscombe and A.C. MacIntyre on some clue argumen... more There is a significant continuity between G.E.M. Anscombe and A.C. MacIntyre on some clue arguments regarding natural facts and human growth that attempt to overcome the limits of empiricism and naturalism regarding human agency and flourishing. The Philosophers show how teleology and the dynamic stability of human nature have a far-reaching explanatory power both for human and technical sciences. Anscombe turned her attention to "natural facts" as important markers of the optimal state of human beings. "Modern Moral Philosophy" (1958) left a lasting trace on MacIntyre, who has been working in a comprehensive view of human flourishing that includes this way of understanding human development.
Papers by Pía Valenzuela
Oxford University Press eBooks, Sep 21, 2017
In the process of secularization of legal institutions, the thirteenth century—with all its polit... more In the process of secularization of legal institutions, the thirteenth century—with all its political conflicts between emperors and popes—is relevant to understand the evolution of those institutions in modernity. Contextualized in that period, this chapter shows the importance of Aquinas’s line of thought about the common good, law, and right in this process. In general, the context of Aquinas’s era and his personal circumstances were characterized by tensions between two perilous alternatives, the imperial and the papal power. Because of this, Aquinas was cautious to express his opinion in specific political issues of the time. This chapter argues that, in spite of Aquinas’s caution in putting forward his political ideas, the essence of his political thought and his opposition to the theocratic theory of government could be inferred also from his notions of natural law and ius gentium, in which he addressed the basic issues of property rights and slavery.
International Law and Religion: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives. History and Theory of International Law Series, Oxford University Press, 43-63, 2017
In the process of secularization of legal institutions, the thirteenth century - with all its pol... more In the process of secularization of legal institutions, the thirteenth century - with all its political conflicts between emperors and popes - is relevant to understand the evolution of those institutions in modernity. Contextualized in that period, this chapter shows the importance of Aquinas's line of thought about the common good, law, and right in this process. In general, the context of Aquinas’s era and his personal circumstances were characterized by tensions between two perilous alternatives, the imperial and the papal power. Because of this, Aquinas was cautious to express his opinion in specific political issues of the time. This chapter argues that, in spite of Aquinas's caution in putting forward his political ideas, the essence of his political thought and his opposition to theocratic theory of government could be inferred also from his notions of natural law and ius gentium, in which he addressed the basic issues of property rights and slavery. Contrary to the tendency in academia which adscribes Aquinas's political thought to the theocratic theory, the present work argues that Aquinas was not a defender of this theory, but really a defender of secular power. Furthermore, in Aquinas's view, there was no need to invoke revealed truth to support political decisions and enactments, but only natural reason. Every law must conform to natural reason and natural law, and in order to be legitimate must aim for the common good. From this standpoint, Aquinas dealt with topics such as dominium, private property, commerce and slavery. The chapter concludes that with his notions of natural law and ius gentium, Aquinas defended the legitimacy of secular power and contributed to the secularization in its meaning as declericalization, by depriving temporal, political power of the clerical character it had in late thirteen century Europe. Aquinas also provided the grounds for the development of the doctrines about religious freedom, human natural sociability, and property rights that were used afterwards to discuss the rights over the new world. Keywords: Aquinas, political thought, common good, theocratic theory, secularization, natural law, ius gentium, property rights, slavery.
Conatus
Is it possible to be happy without virtues? At least for the kind of enduring human happiness Ari... more Is it possible to be happy without virtues? At least for the kind of enduring human happiness Aristotle bears, virtues are required (NE, I). In addition to virtues, some prosperity is necessary for flourishing, like having friends and minimal external goods. Nowadays, we witness different approaches to happiness – well-being – focusing on mental states – i. e. affective – usually without reference to moral issues, concretely moral dispositions, or virtues. At the crossroads of Philosophy and Psychology, the present article discusses the connection of happiness – well-being – and affective states by presenting Fredrickson’s theory of positive emotions, which has been criticised as approaching only hedonic well-being and therefore overlooking its eudaimonic aspects. In her approach, there is no reference to the good life connected to the human good, as in Aristotle’s ethics. However, there is instead an understanding of becoming a benevolent, a better person as a necessary human aspir...
Forum. Supplement to Acta Philosophica, 2019
Aristotle considers passions (emotions) as affections of the human soul involving a body. Concret... more Aristotle considers passions (emotions) as affections of the human soul involving a body. Concretely, gentleness, fear, pity, courage, joy, loving, and hating involve corporal changes, concurrent affections of the body. For Aristotle, the passions of the soul or emotions are enmattered accounts (DA, aaa-). With the development of cognitive science and neuroscience, a lot of the current emotion research studies the biological and neurological substrates of emotions. Within contemporary psychology research, Barbara L. Fredrickson's provocative approach deals with love's biology, studying the biological underpinnings of love and suggesting a body's definition of love. After exposing Fredrickson's concept of love, I discuss some conceptual aspects of this perspective, taking into consideration the unity of the human being and its different features in order to avoid reductionist explanations or conclusions that may lack reeection on the diierent epistemological levels of Philosophy, Psychology and Neuroscience.
Forum. Supplement to Acta Philosophica, 2017
I intend to discuss Aquinas' natural law argument for justifying environmental ethics, by... more I intend to discuss Aquinas' natural law argument for justifying environmental ethics, by referring to the consideration of natural law as the participation of the eternal law. Before we examine views on what constitutes this participation of the eternal law, understood as an active and passive participation, we need to examine views on what environmental ethics strive for. In general, environmental ethics aims to argue the value of natural beings and moral attitude toward nature. The consideration of the passive participation of the eternal law both in human and natural beings is useful for justifying not only the value of natural beings but also the community of being between humans and the rest of nature. The consideration of the active participation of the eternal law in human beings serves to argue the moral responsibility for non-rational beings.
Magda B. Arnold (1903-2002) was one of the prominent female contributors of the mid-20th century ... more Magda B. Arnold (1903-2002) was one of the prominent female contributors of the mid-20th century on emotion research. She coined the term 'appraisal' as the initial assessment that starts the emotional sequence and arouses both the appropriate actions and the emotional experience itself, so that the physiological changes, recognized as important, accompany, but do not initiate, the actions and experiences. 1 With this, she put the basis of the appraisal theory of emotions-which Richard S. Lazarus built on her theory-2 moving toward the cognitive approaches predominant nowadays. However, her voice has been silenced and her work has not been fully recognized, getting few quotations in contemporary research. 3 In a period of increasing physiological research, she criticized reductive explanations of emotions from behaviourism and physiology. She oriented her work using phenomenological insights, thus integrating the psychological, behavioural and neurophysiological aspects on the experience of emotions. Not being a Philosopher by formation, she was influenced by the philosophical thought of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas, which offered her some concrete philosophical basis and critical check on her own theory. This determined the way of her contribution to interdisciplinary work and integrative view on issues like mind-brain relation, cognitive and moral aspects of emotions research. My aim is to offer first a brief view of Arnold's theory of emotion in historical perspective, placing her work and life in the context of her times. Secondly, I want to highlight her broader theory of human emotion integrated into the overall development of a person's life and actions, trying to uncover her intellectual work on the integration of Philosophy and Psychology perspectives. I hope also to shed some light into the current dialogue many scholars from both disciplines are looking for, despite the epistemological and methodological differences.
Seminar for doctoral students of Philosophy and Psychology (Pontifical University of the Holy Cro... more Seminar for doctoral students of Philosophy and Psychology (Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, LUMSA and Universita Europea di Roma)
I intend to discuss Aquinas' natural law argument for justifying environmental ethics, by referri... more I intend to discuss Aquinas' natural law argument for justifying environmental ethics, by referring to the consideration of natural law as the participation of the eternal law. Before we examine views on what constitutes this participation of the eternal law, understood as an active and passive participation, we need to examine views on what environmental ethics strive for. In general, environmental ethics aims to argue the value of natural beings and moral attitude toward nature. The consideration of the passive participation of the eternal law both in human and natural beings is useful for justifying not only the value of natural beings but also the community of being between humans and the rest of nature. The consideration of the active participation of the eternal law in human beings serves to argue the moral responsibility for non-rational beings.
Magda B. Arnold (1903–2002) was one of the prominent female contributors of the mid-20th century ... more Magda B. Arnold (1903–2002) was one of the prominent female contributors of the mid-20th century on emotion research. She coined the term ‘appraisal’ as the initial assessment that starts the emotional sequence and arouses both the appropriate actions and the emotional experience itself, so that the physiological changes, recognized as important, accompany, but do not initiate, the actions and experiences. With this, she put the basis of the appraisal theory of emotions –which Richard S. Lazarus built on her theory- moving toward the cognitive approaches predominant nowadays. However, her voice has been silenced and her work has not been fully recognized, getting few quotations in contemporary research. In a period of increasing physiological research, she criticized reductive explanations of psychological phenomena, including emotions, from behaviourism and psychoanalysis as well. She oriented her work using phenomenological insights, thus integrating the psychological, behavioural and neurophysiological aspects on the experience of emotions. Not being a Philosopher by formation, she was influenced, among others, by the philosophical thought of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas, which offered her some concrete philosophical basis and critical check on her theory. This determined the way of her contribution to interdisciplinary work and integrative view on issues like mind-brain relation, cognitive and moral aspects of emotions research. My aim is to offer first a brief view of Arnold’s theory of emotion in historical perspective, placing her work and life in the context of her times. Secondly, I want to highlight her broader theory of human emotion integrated in the overall development of a person’s life and actions, trying to uncover her intellectual work on the integration of Philosophy and Psychology perspectives. I hope also to shed some light into the current dialogue many scholars from both disciplines are looking for, despite the epistemological and methodological differences.
FORUM, Acta Philosophica, 299-312, 2017
I intend to discuss Aquinas' natural law argument for justifying environmental ethics, by referri... more I intend to discuss Aquinas' natural law argument for justifying environmental ethics, by referring to the consideration of natural law as the participation of the eternal law. Before we examine views on what constitutes this participation of the eternal law, understood as an active and passive participation, we need to examine views on what environmental ethics strive for. In general, environmental ethics aims to argue the value of natural beings and moral attitude toward nature. The consideration of the passive participation of the eternal law both in human and natural beings is useful for justifying not only the value of natural beings but also the community of being between humans and the rest of nature. The consideration of the active participation of the eternal law in human beings serves to argue the moral responsibility for non-rational beings.
Virtù, legge e fioritura umana. Saggi in onore di Angelo Campodonico. MIM Edizioni Srl, 2022
The present article offers - in the form of a dialogue - some views based on a discussion I had t... more The present article offers - in the form of a dialogue - some views based on a discussion I had the opportunity to have with prof. Fredrickson personally at the 9th European Conference on Positive Psychology (ECPP): Positive psychology for a flourishing Europe in times of transitions, June 27-30, 2018 Budapest, Hungary, organized by IPPA. Our conversation focused on her account of positive emotions concerning virtues and character strengths, and some similarities with Aristotelian insights.
Res novae, Jul 17, 2020
Članek obravnava naravni zakon Tomaža Akvin-skega kot temelj okoljske etike in idejo ... more Članek obravnava naravni zakon Tomaža Akvin-skega kot temelj okoljske etike in idejo naravnega zakona kot soudeležbo pri večnem zakonu. Preden pregledamo stališča o tem, kaj vzpostavlja to soudeležbo pri večnem zakonu, ki jo lahko razumemo kot aktivno in pasivno soude-ležbo, moramo raziskati, k čemu okoljska etika stremi. V glav-nem želi okoljska etika zagovarjati vrednost naravnih bitij in moralni odnos do narave. Ideja pasivne soudeležbe tako ljudi kot naravnih bitij pri večnem zakonu lahko utemeljuje ne samo vrednost naravnih bitij, ampak tudi povezanost človeka in ostale narave. Ideja aktivne soudeležbe človeka pri večnem zakonu pa služi kot utemeljitev moralne odgo-vornosti do nerazumnih bitij.Ključne besede: okoljska etika, narava, človek, globoka ekologija, soudeležba, naravni zakon, Tomaž Akvinski.
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Conference Presentations by Pía Valenzuela
Papers by Pía Valenzuela
Several psychological proposals broadened their descriptive approach to include significant elements of prescriptiveness, even inserting considerations on the meaning of life. This trend continues to find an echo in more recent proposals, such as the Positive Psychology movement. Psychologists present systematic explorations in search of an overall explanation of human resources, with the goal of helping individuals act constructively in their personal lives and in society.
A good number of researchers and practitioners are open to a different type of reflection–humanistic and philosophical–to broaden the horizons of their experimental works. The consideration of the elements that explain the growth or flourishing of human beings make it possible for scientists to confront the topics put on the table by Frankl, e.g. resilience and its relationship with hope and a sense of responsibility, and the impact of these emotional components in the development of positive attitudes. Thanks to this dialogue between humanistic-philosophical reflection and science, scientists’ reservations in referring to virtues or perfections of the character have been progressively decreasing.
In the beginnings of this comprehensive exchange between different fields, the most-read works came from existentialist authors of different ages. However, recent psychological currents are beginning to draw elements of the Aristotelian anthropological heritage and relevant notions of religious traditions back into the limelight.
On the other hand, psychological research has been broadening its view of personality enhancement beyond the treatment of mental disorders. This enlargement implies the application of therapeutic tools in 'dosages' for ordinary people, who do not need to heal from any disease; rather, they want to overcome common challenges, or simply to perform better in different everyday situations.
There is a relative proliferation of theories and practices in which the emotional and rational-cognitive elements share the spotlight in different degrees, and which are more or less prone to promoting the enhancement of individual or prosocial attitudes. It has produced an increase of programmes that try to meet the needs of wearying professional activities, like those involving health care and public security operators or the increasingly massive phenomena of physical and nervous exhaustion in highly competitive societies.
At the same time, a phenomenon of commercialization develops parallel to this diffusion of supportive practices: an increasingly conspicuous offer of techniques to improve one's well-being, in which the theoretical and experimental evidence depends on a wide variety of factors, not infrequently handled in uncertain terms.
These are some of the reasons that led us to propose this Monographic Issue. Although it deals with a limited number of the many topics at stake in the effervescent arena of psychological research, the search for meaning, suffering and the role of virtues are useful in weighing a wide range of notions full of anthropological significance.
We have had the opportunity to meet world-class lecturers and researchers in the last few years. We invited some of them to present their conclusions on these topics. The collaborative environment of the Markets, Culture and Ethics Research Centre and the School of Philosophy, both of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Rome) has made it possible to work on these interdisciplinary fields. The Flourishing Lab of the PhD programme of the same School is giving continuity to those efforts.