Abstract:Stoic moral psychology centrally includes a phenomenon designated by the Greek term hormê, which translators have variously rendered as appetitio, impetus, 'conation,' 'impulse,' 'desire,' Trieb, tendance, and (more recently) 'effort.' Hormai, of which the pathê or emotions are central instances, are characterized in the Greek sources both as representations with proposition-like content and as motions in some way directed towards an intentional object. Accordingly, they puzzlingly appear to have, and perhaps even to integrate, both belief- and desire-like features. I consider the Stoic theory against its Socratic background and argue that the term hormê applies more widely than commentators have recognized, including dispositional beliefs as well as the occurrent judgements that directly precipitate action.
