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Judith Barad Aquinas and the Role of Anger in Social Reform Aquinas provides an account ofanger that could help elucidate how it functions in social reformers. At first, however, it may seem that anger as understood according to his account would embitter them, turn them into fanatics or terrorists, or encourage them to avoid anger altogether. Consider Aquinas's definition ofanger as a "desire to punish another by way ofjust revenge."1 He maintains that when we feel anger we want to punish die offender and feel pleasure in doing so. Once we have achieved vengeance on someone who we believe has offended us, we experience pleasure.Yet it seems that if we accept Aquinas's teachings on anger, then anyone who feels this emotion must have a vindictive nature, a nature we would scarcely admire. Nonetheless, Aquinas insists that anger has a role to play in facilitatingjustice. Now how can such a vindictive emotion help us to achieve justice? If Aquinas's description of anger is correct, shouldn't social reformers attempt to avoid anger and its incumbent desire for revenge when they seekjustice? After discussing the distinction between retribution and revenge, I will explain Aquinas's general account ofthe nature of anger. The LOGOS 3:1 WINTER 2ooO AQUINAS AND ANGER IN SOCIAL REFORMI2C various features ofanger I examine in the early sections ofthe paper will be revisited in its later sections. I will then examine the conundrums posed by anger and conclude by suggesting how the complex nature of anger may in some cases impede and in others promote social justice movements. As mentioned, Aquinas holds not only that anger facilitates justice , but that once the angry person achieves justice, he or she feels pleasure.2 As soon as vengeance is present, pleasure ensues. In fact, according toAquinas, even before we avenge ourselves on an offender , vengeance gives us pleasure: [Bjefore vengeance is really present, it becomes present to the angry man in two ways: in one way by hope; because none is angry except he hopes for vengeance ... in another way, by thinking ofit continually, for to everyone that desires a thing it is pleasant to dwell on the thought ofwhat he desires. Revenge gives us hope and pleasure, both very positive feelings. However, shouldn't a truly just person recoil at the notion offeeling pleasure in revenge? Nowadays, it may disturb us to think of taking pleasure in revenge. Louis Pojman, writing about theories of capital punishment , advocates a retributive position, contrasting itwith a position based on revenge.4 The difference between the two, according to him, is that retribution is impersonal, implying fairness, whereas revenge is personal, implying bias. Moreover, he claims that seeking justice based on revenge is also unfair since it may lead to"more suffering from the offender than the offense warrants."While Pojman does not discuss the motivation for this excessive zeal, it is reasonable to assume that it is based on anger since itis our anger that motivates us to seek revenge. Further, revenge is usually viewed as a primitive goal, unworthy of enlightened people. Advocates of this position are disturbed by Aquinas's claim that taking revenge on someone who acts unjustly should bring us pleasure. 126LOGOS Is Aquinas's position on uhis issue obsolete? Can any philosophical or practical insight be derived from it? ConsiderAquinas's observation that "by means of punishment the equality of justice is restored."5 Now ifjustice is something that pleases us, shouldn't its restoration likewise give us pleasure? Ifwe believe that punishment is a means to restore justice, then we may appreciate how someone may take pleasure in punishing an offender.When we fume inwardly , utter retaliatory retorts, or raise our clenched fists to strike, we probably think: "I'm giving him what he deserves.""Let's give them a taste of their own medicine." "That should teach him!"These ordinary expressions suggest that we implicitly linkpleasure and revenge on a regular basis. Aware ofthe tendency toward inward fuming, retaliatory retorts, and clenched fists,Aquinas discusses three ways we express anger: in the heart, in speech, and in action.6Anger that is present in the heart occurs when we internalize our...

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