Why do we do what we do? What shapes our thoughts and decision-making processes, and what leads us to take certain actions? This question, essential to every aspect of our daily existence, was repeatedly raised and explored by the Ancient Greeks, and bears directly on our understanding of ourselves and our agency.
Coming to a better understanding of our emotions’ causes, manifestations and consequences can help us come to a better understanding of our psyche and ourselves, and can play a key role in building connections, mutual understanding, and civic bridges among members of a fragmented and ever more divided society.
Our approach will bring in modern science as a complement to our study of ancient myths. Establishing connections between what these characters and their stories bring to light, on the one hand, and what contemporary findings in the social and “hard” sciences enable us to grasp about the human brain on the other, will bring us one step further in the inquiry of what it is that makes us humans do what we do.