Forum. Supplement to Acta Philosophica

Presentation

2026-10-07T11:34:02+02:00

This volume originates from the XXVI International Conference Emotions and Flourishing: From Magda Arnold’s Proposal to Contemporary Psychological and Philosophical Perspectives, held in Rome from 25 to 27 February 2026 within the framework of the Human Flourishing Project of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. The conference brought together scholars in philosophy, psychology, education, and related disciplines to examine the role of... [Read more]

Emotions and Flourishing: A Complex Relationship of Mutual Enrichment

2026-06-07T19:07:43+02:00

Building on the work of the Italian moral philosopher Giuseppe Abbà, this paper argues that the relationship between emotions and flourishing is mutually enriching yet complex. It acknowledges that the author primarily employs classical, albeit correlated, concepts. Although passions and emotions both have significant epistemological value, their evaluation alone is insufficient for perceiving the true value of a good. A further evaluation by practical reason is required. The epistemological value of passions and emotions in moral perception corresponds to a pre-rational evaluation of cogitative power. While passions are components of subjective wellbeing, additional criteria are required to determine their role in human flourishing. Abbà employs the Thomistic concept of ‘ordo rationis’ to determine whether a good contributes to flourishing, and to categorise the virtues that enable a good life. Love, as the primary passion, explains all the other passions and is the driving force behind any action.

Emotions and Hermeneutics of Desire: A Journey Towards Human Flourishing

2026-06-21T17:40:48+02:00

In this paper I will argue that we cannot debase or even neglect the value of desires and emotions as they represent fundamental dimensions of the moral experience. First of all, I will contend that a good hermeneutics of desire is crucial for achieving human flourishing. Secondly, I will consider the meaning of emotions, bringing out their cognitive value and their role in assessing what is relevant for human beings. Moreover, in dialogue with different philosophical perspectives — particularly those of C. Taylor, H. Frankfurt, J. P. Sartre, A. MacIntyre — I will present a view of desire as intentional openness to goods and meanings fundamental for the human flourishing. While it is commonly believed that satisfying one’s desires leads as such to the achievement of happiness, I will argue that happiness can truly be expression of human flourishing only if it is rooted within the good life.

Emotions as Biographical Material

2026-03-31T02:41:08+02:00

This article examines the role of emotions in human flourishing through the framework of Biographical Analysis with a Philosophical Orientation (ABOF), developed by the philosopher and psychoanalyst Romano Màdera. It first reconstructs Màdera’s diagnosis of the capture of emotional life in late-modern consumer societies and then presents ABOF as a practice situated at the intersection of philosophy as a way of life, depth psychology, and social critique. Its specific contribution is to articulate three movements through which emotions become biographical material: attending to emotion without immediate identification, anamorphically re-reading its bodily, relational, and social layers, and discerning the orientation of desire expressed through it. Emotions thus emerge neither as disturbances to be eliminated nor as self-interpreting truths, but as privileged sites of biographical discernment. The article argues that this work connects emotional self-knowledge with solidarity and with a non confessional spiritual openness, allowing human flourishing to be understood as the capacity to value finite goods without requiring any one of them to provide total fulfilment.

What Does It Mean to Live Well?

2026-05-20T06:24:29+02:00

The aim of this paper is to explore the ancient Greek conception of philosophy as a way of life, emphasizing its connection to happiness understood in terms of human flourishing (εὐδαιμονία, eudaimonia), emotional development, and philosophical practices. Moving from Pierre Hadot’s interpretation of ancient philosophy, my proposal highlights how philosophical discourse started from an existential choice: to live in pursuit of wisdom and virtue, that is, to live well. Central to this pursuit was the transformation of the self through disciplined practices aimed at aligning one’s life with philosophical values. Philosophical exercises were designed to harmonize both affective and cognitive dimensions of the person so to establish an excellent behaviour, such as courage for example. The conclusion of the paper examines how contemporary thinkers Romano Màdera and Claudia Baracchi revive this tradition, proposing renewed ways in which philosophy can represent a path to emotional maturity and existential fulfillment.

Hsing Yun’s Humanistic Buddhism and Magda Arnold’s Human Flourishing on the Good Life

2026-05-03T09:09:14+02:00

This paper examines flourishing in Humanistic Buddhism—a contemporary Chinese Mahayana tradition advocated by Taixu (1890-1947). Taixu’s “Life Buddhism” (rensheng fojiao) emphasized the accumulation of merit by deliberately shifting the focus away from traditional rituals and funerary rites. This tradition was further developed by Hsing Yun (1927-2023), a prominent figure in global Buddhism, who propagated “dharma joy” as a practical framework for human needs. The core tenets of Hsing Yun’s philosophy involve Bodhisattva practice within everyday life, prioritizing social engagement and the cultivation of a joyful disposition. Utilizing Hsing Yun’s framework, this study compares Humanistic Buddhist ideals with Magda Arnold’s (1903-2002) psychological theories on flourishing, specifically her focus on meaningful life goals, motivational guidance, and the use of the self as an index for maturity. Ultimately, this paper puts into dialogue Hsing Yun’s Humanistic Buddhist understanding of rebirth and Magda Arnold’s Christian-Catholic framework of eternal communion with the Divine.

Aristotelian Flourishing and Self-Respect without Anger

2026-05-27T10:33:37+02:00

Dating back to Aristotle, philosophers have argued that virtue requires wronged agents to hold on to anger until a wrong has been fully recompensed, since anger reflects appropriate self-respect. However, I argue here that even when anger is proportionate, it is not always virtuous. Since the connection between virtue and flourishing should be taken seriously, the evidence about the detrimental effect anger has on an individual’s mental and physical health suggest that anger undermines the capacity of an agent to foster her own flourishing. I argue that while acknowledging wrongdoing is important for maintaining self-respect, this does not require holding on to anger since prioritizing one’s own flourishing is an important way of valuing oneself. As a result, identifying the mean with regards to anger is more complicated than often thought, since it will require agents to balance their own flourishing against abstract requirements of desert.

Experience and Musical Meaning as a Possibility for Flourishing

2026-05-03T07:52:57+02:00

The relationship between music, emotion, and flourishing reveals aesthetic experience as a path to human development. This work brings into dialogue Roger Scruton’s phenomenological approach and Robert S. Hatten’s semiotic perspective. For Scruton, music creates an intentional auditory world where sounds are perceived as expressive forms, and emotion emerges as embodied knowledge shaped by aesthetic listening. In contrast, Hatten emphasizes gesture, topics, and tropes as carriers of culturally and historically situated meaning. While Scruton focuses on subjective experience, Hatten highlights the role of stylistic context in shaping musical meaning. Together, these perspectives show that musical experience integrates emotion, perception, and cultural understanding. This convergence allows music to be understood as a form of embodied thought and a means of self-understanding, contributing to both personal and cultural flourishing. The relationship between music, emotion and flourishing reveals the aesthetic experience as a pathway to human development.

Negative Anthropology and Human Flourishing. Suffering as an Affective Indicator

2026-05-20T08:40:37+02:00

This paper proposes to integrate the question of the good life through a negative anthropology approach. Rather than relying on a substantive account of human nature, it takes suffering as a privileged entry point for analysing the conditions that enable or hinder human flourishing. Drawing on contemporary critical theory, suffering is interpreted as an affective indicator of frustrated anthropological needs, whose epistemic status is increasingly neutralized by processes of individualization and medicalization. The paper advances the hypothesis that a significant part of contemporary distress can be understood in terms of disembodiment, conceived as a weakening of the lived relation between subject and world. By integrating phenomenology, philosophical anthropology, and psychology, the paper argues that suffering, far from being merely an obstacle, constitutes a key resource for critically interrogating the conditions of a meaningful human life.

Affective Appraisal and Dialogical Encounter

2026-06-07T19:27:08+02:00

This article explores human flourishing through a dialogue between Magda Arnold's psychology of emotion and Martin Buber’s dialogical philosophy. It argues that dialogue is not merely beneficial but constitutes a sine qua non condition for authentic human flourishing, grounded in the recognition that human beings are fundamentally dialogical beings. The article examines Buber’s dialogical anthropology, focusing on the I-Thou relationship and encounter (Begegnung), revealing how personal identity is constituted through authentic dialogue. It then explores Arnold’s appraisal theory, which positions emotions as evaluative responses to perceived reality. The synthesis demonstrates that appraisal occurs dialogically rather than in isolation, as interpersonal experience fundamentally influences how individuals perceive and evaluate reality. Both authors overcome problematic dualisms: Arnold bridges reason and emotion through affective intelligence, while Buber transcends the subject-object dichotomy through relational ontology. Together, they establish emotional appreciation and authentic dialogue as complementary and constitutive dimensions of integral human flourishing.

The Integration of Philosophy and Psychology in Magda B. Arnold’s Work

2026-05-03T08:02:34+02:00

The psychologist Magda B. Arnold (1903-2002) was one of the prominent female contributors to twentieth-century psychology. Best known for her appraisal theory of emotion, Arnold developed a broader account of the human person that integrates philosophical anthropology and empirical psychology. Drawing on Aristotelian-Thomistic thought, phenomenological analysis, and personalistic psychology, her work sought to overcome reductionist approaches by situating psychological processes within a unified understanding of the person. This article examines Arnold’s contribution to the integration of philosophical and psychological perspectives. It argues that her account of emotion, personality, and free agency offers valuable resources for advancing interdisciplinary dialogue between these fields. In particular, Arnold’s work shows how emotional life can be understood only within a broader framework that includes evaluation, experience, reason, and human action.

Freedom, Responsibility, and the Self-Ideal

2026-06-25T10:04:33+02:00

This study examines Magda Arnold’s and John Gasson’s attempt to formulate an alternative image of the human person in The Human Person (1954). Focusing on Chapters 1 and 6, it reconstructs the movement from Arnold’s critique of the philosophical presuppositions underlying mechanistic and deterministic psychology to Gasson’s personalistic theory of personality. The study argues that Gasson’s doctrine of the self-ideal is not an isolated moral or religious addition to this framework, but its teleological culmination. Arnold and Gasson seek to preserve the empirical character of psychology while accounting for the unity, purposiveness, freedom, and responsibility of human action. Within this perspective, personality integration cannot arise automatically from biological or psychological tendencies, but requires an apprehended end capable of organising them. The self-ideal fulfils this function by linking subjective aspiration with an objective model of human perfection. The article also identifies several philosophical and psychological questions that deserve further independent investigation.

The Language of Nature and Personal Integration

2026-05-01T12:42:09+02:00

The expression “language of nature” underscores that human nature is not a neutral biological fact but a meaningful structure oriented towards the good. Three fundamental tendencies—preservation, connection and knowledge—are distinguished, which, in the individual, require learning and deliberation. These tendencies underlie educable dimensions (executive, affective and cognitive) whose integration depends on the virtues. According to Magda Arnold, emotion reflects the evaluation of that which affects the self and operates as a functional signal for self-regulation. This framework allows us to understand the relationship between nature, virtue and mental health, and provides a foundation for educational and therapeutic applications aimed at human flourishing.

Moral Imagination in Light of Magda Arnod’s Appraisal Theory

2026-05-20T06:30:11+02:00

The growing interest in imagination and its relevance to moral education has led to the use of the term moral imagination. This multifaceted concept refers to the ability to represent possible futures and alternative scenarios, to develop empathy and moral sensitivity, and to guide ethical deliberation. However, contemporary literature lacks a clear articulation linking moral imagination to the theory of internal senses, particularly the cogitative sense, which is responsible for weighing up what is desirable in relation to the singular good.
This article explores the relationship between moral imagination and Magda B. Arnold’s appraisal theory, with the aim of demonstrating how her contributions regarding evaluative judgements can shed light on the contemporary notion of moral imagination.
Arnold argues that all emotions require an evaluation, a sensory judgement, of the situation based on what is perceived as valuable or harmful for the person. From this perspective, it is proposed that imagination cannot be separated from evaluation, as images must also be assessed in terms of their orientation towards the good. Understanding this evaluative dimension reveals the link between emotion and moral imagination, providing a framework for examining how they contribute to the self-ideal. Furthermore, an open question remains regarding the possible activation of emotions through the direct intervention of intellect and will, representing a promising avenue for future research that could further expand the explanatory scope of the evaluative model.

Magda Arnold and Max Scheler: From Kant to Emotion and the Other Way of Rationality

2026-05-03T07:44:28+02:00

This article will address the recovery of emotion as a constitutive factor of human flourishing and of ethical meaning and lived experience. The paper will provide a sustained reflection on their critiques of the Kantian understanding of person. It will analyze their respective departures from the Kantian project and how their positions converge and diverge within the broader view of the phenomenological framework. Scheler’s critique of Kantian formalism as depersonalizing the moral agent and reducing the irreducible and robust phenomenon of the human person, will be compared with Arnold’s richly layered understanding of emotion in relation to its preceding, and primal grounding appraisal of any situation. This raised priority of emotion from its prevailing and insufficient view as secondary and reactionary, will be drawn out as a recovery of a more robust understanding of the human person in view of the meaning of community.

Beyond Emotional Self-Regulation

2026-05-03T07:54:28+02:00

In recent decades, emotional self-regulation (ESR) has emerged as a significant interdisciplinary field of research in psychology, affective neuroscience, and philosophy. However, its link with affective maturity (AM) remains unexplored, even though they share an important underlying question: how to control our emotions rather than be controlled by them? Although AM lacks a scientific definition, it is employed in clinical, religious, and character-formation contexts and is particularly pertinent in marriage annulment causes. Drawing on Magda Arnold’s personality theory as a starting point, this paper proposes a framework for integrating ESR and AM coherently from an interdisciplinary perspective. In particular, it delves into the anthropological foundations that can support such integration, as outlined in Arnold’s pioneering work. By doing so, this theoretical review aims to minimise overlaps and ambiguities between the concepts, thus enabling the future development of criteria applicable to the assessment and treatment of clinical cases.

Emotional Example in Aristotle: A Way of Teaching the Worth of Things

2026-06-07T19:24:39+02:00

Aristotle’s insight that refined feelings generate motivations for action has profoundly influenced psychology, yet the role of refined emotional example to teach virtue has remained largely unnoticed by his commentators. This paper offers a reappraisal of emotional example as integral to the formation of virtue, and attributable to Aristotelian insights. I note that Aristotle establishes preconditions for a role for emotional example: a focus on children in the earliest years, the role of imitation in learning, and refined emotional responses as appraisals or judgements. I offer a reading of two texts offering an appreciation of refined emotional example as a way teaching virtue and foundations of moral judgement. I note the presence of emotional example in childhood studies and suggest that this paper serves to inform childhood studies more precisely in the light of Aristotelian principles, and to correct omissions in Aristotelian commentaries.

Virtue of Care and Ethics of Virtue

2026-05-01T22:26:58+02:00

There are two characteristics shared by Virtue Ethics and the Ethics of Care: a distance from deontology and consequentialism on one hand; the importance of the emotional and affective dimensions in moral discourse on the other. Nonetheless, it seems that the two theories diverge regarding the central focus of moral life: the role of the agent’s character (virtues), relationality and responsibility for others (care). Be that as it may, there is a little-considered strand which, in the 1970s, revived the concept of virtue precisely by focusing on the inescapable human dimension of care. This analysis will consider the contribution of existentialist psychology which, by reworking Heidegger’s proposal, highlighted the psychological and ethical role of care (May, Erickson). Secondly, it will trace the link between care and the flourishing of the individual (Mayeroff), and from there discuss and evaluate the connection between the ethics of care and the ethics of virtue.

Habits as Spiritual Affectivity

2026-06-07T19:21:26+02:00

This article explores the relationship between emotions and habits within the Aristotelian-Thomistic tradition, challenging the modern identification of habit with mere routine or neurobiological automatism. Drawing on the insights of Magda Arnold and Leonardo Polo, the author argues that while emotions are sensory, preconscious ‘appraisals’ of the environment, habits—specifically virtues—represent a higher, spiritual form of affectivity. By characterizing habit as a stable disposition oriented toward the ‘intellectual good’, the text positions virtue as ‘active feedback’ that perfects the human faculty. Unlike transient sensory passions, these spiritual habits provide a profound, stable emotional tone, such as serenity or joy, which guides and moderates lower sensory responses. Ultimately, the author posits that habits are not ‘cold’ cognitive structures but a ‘hyper-feeling’ that constitutes the most intimate and elevated dimension of human emotional experience.

Comprehensive Education as a Core Element of the Life Project

2026-05-15T12:29:33+02:00

The empirical findings reveal a dynamic ecosystem structured around a five-pillar framework, driven by the tension between a baseline dimension of fear or insecurity (triggered by institutional exclusion and academic performance pressures) and the activation of resilient mechanisms (recreation, spirituality, and family support networks). Crucially, the data demonstrate that these coping strategies are structurally organized by an emergent ethical framework centred on honesty and personal integrity. Collectively, these dimensions converge into a nuclear category of [Ethically Grounded Resilience] amid uncertainty, illustrating that the link between self knowledge and self-determination is fundamentally relational and dependent on comprehensive care environments.
Finally, these results are discussed in light of the Aristotelian tradition, Kentenich’s pedagogy, and Frankl’s logotherapy, contrasting an integrated, meaningdriven life project against the fragmented existence characteristic of postmodernity. The study concludes with actionable implications for school-family partnerships and care-based pedagogies aimed at fostering youth autonomy and human flourishing.

Martha C. Nussbaum’s Public Ethics

2026-05-01T13:05:51+02:00

The aim of this contribution is to shed light on the public role of emotions as it emerges from Martha C. Nussbaum’s philosophical and political reflections. Democratic and just societies are not solely reliant on laws and institutions; they are also contingent on the collective emotions that underpin their public values. Shared feelings are needed to unite citizens, ensuring cooperation and respect. However, alongside positive emotions such as civic love, critical patriotism and social gratitude, there is a risk of negative emotions that are destructive in the public sphere, such as fear, disgust, anger. Our contribution examines the research conducted by the American philosopher over the past decade, focusing in particular on works such as Upheavals of Thought and Political Emotions, while awaiting the publication of her new book on the connection between social emotions and lyric opera (forthcoming 2026). Our goal is to reflect on the dignity of emotions through her philosophical and moral interpretation of Operas.

The Maturity of Affectivity

2026-05-03T07:43:01+02:00

This paper examines how affective education shapes personal identity and influences human maturity and flourishing, drawing on Leonardo Polo, Juan Rof Carballo, and Consuelo Martínez Priego. It argues that emotional life is the starting point of integral development: affective normality, family dynamism, and relational bonds provide the foundation from which intelligence, will, and transcendent openness emerge. Polo emphasizes that only an ordered affectivity enables stable virtues and the free exercise of freedom without inner blockages. In a similar vein, Rof Carballo highlights the mother—child bond as the basis of personality, while Martínez Priego stresses the family as the original context in which the person experiences themselves as a received gift. Consequently, emotional education—both in childhood and adulthood—is not optional but a core educational task essential for personal and social development.

Impact of a Mindfulness Workshop on the Flourishing of University Students

2026-05-01T10:04:20+02:00

University is a decisive moment in overall development, where academic learning, personal and emotional skills are consolidated. In this context, a project was implemented to promote flourishing and personal growth of university students by strengthening five variables: flourishing, emotional intelligence, grit, mindfulness, and growth mindset. Through a virtual workshop based on mindfulness practices, a pre-experimental design was applied to a single group of 23 students from different faculties. The two month intervention included initial and final measurements using validated scales (PERMA, TMMS-24, Grit-O, Mindfulness Scale, and Growth Mindset Scale). Results showed overall improvements in the five variables studied, especially in positive emotions, general well-being, and emotional regulation. Females showed higher emotional sensitivity and mindfulness, while males highlighted effort and engagement. The observed trends confirm the potential of brief mindfulness-based interventions to promote self-awareness, self-regulation, and comprehensive development. The study highlights the importance of promoting personal growth programmes in the university setting.

Positive Psychology – Positive Masculinity: Towards a Positive Vision of Masculinity Empirically Validated

2026-05-01T12:58:20+02:00

Positive Psychology — Positive Masculinity (PPPM) is a current emerged in the early 21th century within the field of Positive Psychology with the aim of highlighting the positive aspects of masculinity. To this end, it analyzed empirical psychological and sociological studies, identifying eleven characteristics of masculinity that contribute to the flourishing of both the individual and others, and which are found in men across most ages and cultures. These characteristics are: 1) a relational style characterized by shared, instrumental, and action-oriented activities; 2) a tendency to take care for others; 3) generative fatherhood; 4) self-reliance; 5) the ‘workerprovider’ tradition; 6) respect for women; 7) daring, courage, and risk-taking; 8) group orientation; 9) service to the community; 10) use of humor; and 11) heroism. In this article, we will examine the main tenets of the PPPM, highlighting its limitations and merits, and emphasizing points of convergence with a Christian-based anthropology.

The Relationships Between Illness-Related Variables and Flourishing: A Psycho-Oncological Study

2026-05-27T11:10:58+02:00

This study investigated the relationships between cancer stage and physical symptoms with mental health and distress emotions among persons with solid tumors.
Participants were administered the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R) – Identity Scale, the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF), and the Distress Thermometer. Descriptives analyses, correlations, chi-square tests, t and Mann-Whitney tests were performed.
176 persons (84% female, mean age=58.01), predominantly with breast (54%) localized (66%) cancer significantly differed in illness identity (U=3929.5, p=0.003), anger (U=3980.0, p=0.003), hedonic, psychological, eudaimonic and total well-being (U=2456.0, p=0.03; U=2192.0, p=0.002; t(166)=2.2, p=0.03; t(166)=2.3; p=0.02) at different cancer stages. No associations emerged between cancer stage and flourishing. Flourishing and non-flourishing patients differed in physical symptoms (U=2504.0, p=0.03), stress, (U=2251.0, p=0.001), anxiety (U=2298.0, p=0.002), depression (U=1907.0, p<0.001), anger (U=2397.0, p=0.009) and help needed (U=2574.0; p=0.44).
Results showed the independent observation of flourishing related dimensions across symptoms and cancer stage. This awareness integrates practice.

Inclusion, Exclusion and Flourishing: The Role of Social Pain and Related Emotions

2026-05-03T07:47:30+02:00

This paper argues that human flourishing is not merely individual but interrelational. While recent debates emphasise positive affect or individual capacities in well-being, they tend to underexplore the regulatory role of negatively valenced experiences. Focusing on social pain—the distress associated with social exclusion and disrupted social bonds—I draw on neuroscientific and psychological evidence showing its affective overlap with physical pain as a shared alarm system. I argue that this system signals threats to relational conditions fundamental to agency and well-being. On this view, social pain plays a central regulatory role, parallel to that of physical pain: it tracks social damage, motivates responses primarily oriented towards repair and reintegration, and operates with social and moral emotions that shape norm-sensitive interactions. On this basis, I defend a conception of flourishing as essentially interrelational, in which the maintenance and restoration of social inclusion are structurally central to well-being and moral agency.

Identity, Relational Reflexivity and Human Flourishing

2026-05-07T08:51:58+02:00

This paper aims to present the contribution that the Italian sociologist Pierpaolo Donati’s Relational Paradigm can offer to contemporary reflections on human flourishing, particularly through its distinctive conception of the formation of human identity within a theoretical framework centered on the value of relationships. It begins with the question of human identity and the way in which this presupposes a further notion, namely reflexivity, understood in relational terms. On this basis, the paper offers a concise (and necessarily non-exhaustive) presentation of Donati’s thought, before developing its central concepts and relating them to the question of human flourishing.

The Role of Emotions in Cultural Transformation

2026-05-01T12:44:58+02:00

Some contemporary public debate topics are characterized by a particularly intense emotional narrative. This article analyses the role of emotions in cultural transformation, with particular reference to advertising campaigns against domestic violence. Drawing on Magda Arnold's theoretical framework on emotional appraisal and Suzanne Keen's concept of narrative empathy, it proposes an analysis of three TV ads by British non-profit organizations (2018-2025). The aim is to examine how narrative structure guides the emotional appraisal of viewers and how the emotions elicited contribute, or fail to contribute, to a deep cultural transformation. The findings suggest that these campaigns tend to elicit negative emotions to raise awareness, without however aspiring to a cultural transformation grounded in positive values.

Caregiving and Work-Life Balance

2026-05-05T18:32:17+02:00

Is it possible to identify specific care-related talents? How can these be developed with the support of emotional intelligence? Why might they be useful in fostering a dialogue between personal and professional life?
Care-related talents are diverse; they can be developed by cultivating selfawareness, self-management and self-direction, and they have an impact in both personal and professional contexts. It is therefore necessary to: recognize the centrality of care in both personal and professional spheres; focus attention on the value of caregiving in the development of its specific soft skills; define care processes by focusing on certain specific talents within the field of emotional intelligence.
The ultimate aim of this paper is to demonstrate how these talents can also support work-life balance by defining the true meaning of care, precisely through the role of emotional intelligence in an individual’s personal and professional development.

Elizabeth Anscombe’s Challenge

2026-06-21T17:50:46+02:00

This paper revisits Elizabeth Anscombe’s call for an ‘adequate philosophy of psychology’ through the lens of contemporary psychology education. It argues that current curricula tend to institutionalize a predominantly causal-explanatory model of mind, in which the conceptual resources required to understand intentional action remain underdeveloped. Drawing on an illustrative analysis of selected European psychology programmes, the paper identifies a structural imbalance between empirical training and conceptual reflection. From an Anscombean perspective, this imbalance risks obscuring the distinction between causes and reasons, which is central to understanding human action. While contemporary psychology does engage with concepts such as intention and motivation, these often remain theoretically underexamined within a naturalistic framework. The paper concludes by proposing a cooperative model in which philosophical analysis and empirical research are integrated, thereby enriching both disciplines and contributing to a more adequate account of human agency.