The first talk in this series will offer a survey of thinking about emotions, from both historical and modern perspectives.
The earliest views saw emotions mainly as a problem, because they divert us from either the rational or the religious life, so there was an interest in retraining our feelings into more moderate courses. In the Enlightenment the main focus was on trying to understand their role, mainly in terms of a hierarchy grounded in a group of ‘basic’ emotions. Modern discussions are more complex. Romantics fell in love with the emotions, and Freudians began to think they secretly dominated us. Philosophers have made claims that emotions are much more than mere feelings, because they are directed towards external facts, and may even be judgements (or intuitions) of them.
Emotions became very important when logical positivists suggested that morality was entirely emotional, and the idea that emotions are wholly constructed by a culture has also challenged their status. At the very least it is hard to imagine humans having values if they lacked emotions. Empirical research suggests that even the purest reasoning, such as mathematics, is a very emotional business. The most recent thinkers are searching for a more integrated account of human mental life, in which emotions play a central and healthy role. In this talk we will dip our toes into these many interesting waters.