This article argues that philosopher Martha Nussbaum's reflections on the role of the emotions in human flourishing can contribute in important ways to our understanding of the emotions in adult education contexts. The article summarises Nussbaum's exploration of the contributions of classical philosophers like Socrates, Aristotle, and Epicurus to our understanding of the emotions and then reflects on the implications of her more anthropological and psychoanalytical assessment of human emotionality for adult education. Broadly, the paper concurs with Nussbaum's argument that the emotions are a form of cognition through which we think about things that are deeply important to us but that are beyond our control. The fact of our essential neediness and vulnerability as human beings needs to be deeply appreciated if adult educators hope to sustain a meaningful and emancipatory social purpose for their field.