thymos

Thymos is a Greek term meaning spiritedness, vigor, or life-force. In classical thought, it designates a distinct aspect of the soul's psychology, associated with emotional energy, motion, and the impulse to act. The word is connected to ideas of breath and vitality in ancient Greek language.

In Plato's philosophy, thymos is the second part of the tripartite soul, alongside the rational part (logistikon) and the appetitive part (epithymetikon). Thymos governs emotions such as anger, indignation, and the drive to defend, pursue honor, or achieve noble goals. A just person is said to harmonize thymos with reason, so that rational guidance channels its energy toward virtuous action; when out of balance, thymos can fuel aggression or reckless pride.

Later Greek writers, including Aristotle, discuss thymos as one of the passions that can be stirred in the soul. In rhetoric, thymos becomes a source of motivation in persuasion, capable of provoking courage or resentment depending on context and reasoning.

In modern scholarship, thymos is mainly used in discussions of classical psychology and philosophy. It remains a historical term rather than a technical category in contemporary science, describing a facet of the human psyche: a drive for recognition, honor, and action that interacts with reason and desire.

Thymos should not be confused with the thymus, the immune organ named separately in medicine.