Emotions, social relationships and the good life

The aim of this paper is to examine in greater detail the role of emotions in Aristotle's virtue ethics and within the framework of Martha Nussbaum's moral theory. Among other things, it addresses the following questions: What is Aristotle's conception of a good life, and what capabilities does he identify as constituting a human life as such? Furthermore, this paper explores the question of why emotions are important for justice. This will be examined using Nussbaum's capabilities approach, which was developed as a universal instrument of justice. The final section focuses on defining a culture of emotions designed to support and stabilise politically liberal principles. In this context, the emotions of 'love' and 'compassion' play a particular role.