Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Envy
(764 words)

Envy, from the Latin invidia via Old French envie (German Neid, originally “struggle,” “fervor,” “rivalry”), is the ethically reprehensible emotion of displeasure at the happiness of another. A subject of reflection since Antiquity, envy is believed to occur in all human societies, being elicited by desire for some property or advantage of the other, and hence being directed against specific individuals or groups  [8].

Although recent research into the subject admits that envy can have positive effects, the prevailing view in the early modern period …

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Mader, Eric-Oliver, “Envy”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_SIM_024706>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20170626



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