Abstract
The first systematic investigations of human emotion were conducted by the ancient Greeks. These investigations raised the issue of the phenomenon's scope and function. How have communication scholars confronted this issue in their present day theorizing and research activities? What contributions have these scholars offered that can help others understand the nature of emotion and its influence on human behavior? This essay provides answers to these questions by first examining how emotion has been conceived from a rhetorical viewpoint. Scientific and philosophical assessments of the topic are then reviewed. Such a progression allows for a heightened appreciation of the development and the contemporary status of a literature in our field.