Predominant Quality or pedominant virtue or ruling passion – 17th- and 18th-century moral philosophers were (reflecting medical knowledge about the passions, humours and elementary dispositions supposed to determine both body and mind) fascinated by the idea of dominant or ruling passions and established complex systems to the use of all who had to predict and influence human actions. See the pattern Christian Thomasius published with his Short Essay of Political Prudence in 1710 for the advice offered in the following passages.