If you look at the Iliad you'll see that there is much less talk of emotions there. Agamemnon is not a jerk in his own eyes -- "the gods made me do it". Different narrative styles. The wrath of Achilles is more like a force of nature than our modern subjective "I'm really pissed off". — Mariner
I think that we can learn to speak differently, — Mariner
Language is ontology. — Mariner
A Cartesian-style homunculus is out of date — darthbarracuda
but there still remains the very real experience of having a self that emotions somehow act upon. — darthbarracuda
A Cartesian-style homunculus is out of date — darthbarracuda
Certainly anxiety cannot just simply be reduced to physical processes like a churning stomach, an elevated internal temperature, shifty eyes, etc, for these are simply symptoms used to diagnose an emotional state, behaviorist black-box style. — darthbarracuda
I feel emotions. But what are emotions, and how do I feel them? — darthbarracuda
We are naturally organised to respond to the demands and opportunities of the world in a dichotomous fashion - either relaxing or tensing in some appropriate holistically orienting and prepatory fashion. — apokrisis
I'm having difficulty putting these two together. If language is ontology, then speaking differently is an act of creation ex-nihilo - is that right? That puts the poet/ novelist/ playwright at the heart of things... — unenlightened
the purpose of emotional feelings is to reflect the meaning of the event that triggered it. If the feeling is positive, then the event must have been positive. — Samuel Lacrampe
If the feeling is negative, then the emotion must have been negative. — Samuel Lacrampe
Given that human descriptions generally reduce to a dichotomy, or complementary opposites, what could be the psychological cause of this? — Galuchat
In this paper, we develop an impure somatic theory of emotion, according to which emotions are constituted by the integration of bodily perceptions with representations of external objects, events, or states of affairs. — Luca Barlassina
the very real experience of having a self that emotions somehow act upon — darthbarracuda
Good point. You are a step ahead. We need to differentiate between legitimate and illegitimate emotional feelings. A feeling is legit if it truly reflects the nature of the event, both in direction and magnitude. If not, then it is illegit. A junky or addict has an illegit pleasure towards its drugs, hence the addiction. But a strong feeling of fear towards encountering a tiger would be a legit feeling, because the event is strongly negative (you could die) and the feeling is equally negative.So, for example, the positive feeling that a junky might have when s/he finds some drugs would reflect the positive meaning of what? — jkop
I meant 'must' in the sense of 'may', or 'is an indication'. But it presupposes that the feeling is legitimate, which is indeed not always the case.Why must it be positive? — jkop
Every part of the human body has a purpose. Legs to move, hands to grab, nails to scratch, eyes to see, hair to protect our skin from the sun, sweat to cool down etc. Even physical feelings have a purpose: to reflect the health state of the body. Hence when the body is damaged, we feel physical pain. When the body's needs are fulfilled (e.g. drinking when thirsty) then we feel physical pleasure. If all other parts have a purpose, then emotions too must have a purpose.And whence the assumption that emotions would have a purpose? — jkop
Typo. I meant "If the feeling is negative, then it is an indication that the event must have been negative". I have corrected the original post. Thanks.The emotion is the feeling. — jkop
I've been doing a module at undergrad level on 'philosophy of emotions'. Broadly, theory suggests... — mcdoodle
He [Roddy Cowie] found that some feeling we call 'emotional' is in place more or less all the time, on people's own first-person accounts, but that the role of 'the emotions' is exaggerated by commentators, in that most emotional moments can't easily be tied to a single emotion. — mcdoodle
Shouldn't philosophy be based on current science when addressing subjects which have been addressed by science, and serve as a tool of science, asking questions which may, or may not, direct research? — Galuchat
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