Kazuhiko Demura: Augustine and Seneca on Virtue and moral Motivation concerning Poverty and Senescence

Facing with difficult human conditions such as poverty, senescence and illness, his or her own moral disposition should be scrutinized. How is the good disposition i.e. virtue about them formed? And how is it possible to have a keen interest in other people's difficulties? Augustine advocates love for God and love for neighbours and Seneca claims the common humanity. Recent studies (Sorabji (2002), Byers (2013)) shed light on the theory of emotion and moral motivation in Seneca and Augustine and come to focus on the close relationship between Seneca and Augustine. This paper will consider concrete emotions such as pity, pain, joy, and sorrow in their confrontations with poverty and senescence and re-examine theoretical framework of them.