One of my favorite research interests are the moral emotions specifically what Marilyn Frye calls “righteous anger” in “A Note On Anger”. I think that there is something valuable about moral anger. For example, it can be a strong motivation in the pursuit of justice and it can be an expression of self-respect. However, thousands of years ago in Rome, a philosopher by the name of Seneca (explained in his work “On Anger”) would probable disagree with me although his analysis of anger is based on a more nonmoral view of it.
In this video by the BBC, check out what Seneca has to say about anger. According to Seneca, anger rises out of our wrong expectations or beliefs about the world. He then suggests for us to go with the flow and explains the connection between wealth and anger. Although host Alain De Botton’s focus is on practical wisdom taken from Seneca’s anger account and my account of anger is more analytical, Seneca does offer a coherent account of “unrighteous” anger and great advice on how to control it.