E3DA42
Definition of an Emotion — Part III
Latin
Consternatio dicitur de eo cujus cupiditas malum vitandi coercetur admiratione mali quod timet.
Explicatio: Est itaque consternatio pusillanimitatis species. Sed quia consternatio ex duplici timore oritur, ideo commodius definiri potest quod sit metus qui hominem stupefactum aut fluctuantem ita continet ut is malum amovere non possit. Dico stupefactum quatenus ejus cupiditatem malum amovendi admiratione coerceri intelligimus. Fluctuantem autem dico quatenus concipimus eandem cupiditatem coerceri timore alterius mali quod ipsum æque cruciat : unde fit ut quodnam ex duobus avertat, nesciat. De his vide scholium propositionis 39 et scholium propositionis 52 hujus. Cæterum de pusillanimitate et audacia vide scholium propositionis 51 hujus.
English (Elwes 1883)
Consternation is attributed to one, whose desire of avoiding evil is checked by amazement at the evil which he fears.
Explanation: Consternation is, therefore, a species of cowardice. But, inasmuch as consternation arises from a double fear, it may be more conveniently defined as a fear which keeps a man so bewildered and wavering, that he is not able to remove the evil. I say bewildered, in so far as we understand his desire of removing the evil to be constrained by his amazement. I say wavering, in so far as we understand the said desire to be constrained by the fear of another evil, which equally torments him: whence it comes to pass that he knows not, which he may avert of the two. On this subject, see III. xxxix. note, and III. lii. note. Concerning cowardice and daring, see III. li. note.
Modern English
Consternation is attributed to one whose desire to avoid a bad thing is checked by wonder at the bad thing feared.
Explanation: Consternation is therefore a species of cowardice. But because consternation arises from a twofold fear, it can more conveniently be defined as a fear that holds a person so stunned or wavering that they cannot remove the bad thing. I say stunned in so far as we understand their desire to remove the bad thing to be checked by wonder. I say wavering in so far as we understand that same desire to be checked by fear of another bad thing that torments them equally, from which it follows that they do not know which of the two to avert. On this, see the scholium to Proposition 39 and the scholium to Proposition 52 of this Part (E3P52S). On cowardice and daring, see the scholium to Proposition 51 of this Part (E3P51S).