Emotional Insight: The Epistemic Role of Emotional ExperienceMichael S. Brady presents a fresh perspective on how to understand the difference that emotions can make to our lives. It is a commonplace that emotions can give us information about the world: we are told, for instance, that sometimes it is a good idea to 'listen to our heart' when trying to figure out what to believe. In particular, many people think that emotions can give us information about value: fear can inform us about danger, guilt about moral wrongs, pride about achievement. But how are we to understand the positive contribution that emotions can make to our beliefs in general, and to our beliefs about value in particular? And what are the conditions in which emotions make such a contribution? Emotional Insight aims to answer these questions. In doing so it illuminates a central tenet of common-sense thinking, contributes to an on-going debate in the philosophy of emotion, and illustrates something important about the nature of emotion itself. For a central claim of the book is that we should reject the idea that emotional experiences give us information in the same way that perceptual experiences do. The book rejects, in other words, the Perceptual Model of emotion. Instead, the epistemological story that the book tells will be grounded in a novel and distinctive account of what emotions are and what emotions do. On this account, emotions help to serve our epistemic needs by capturing our attention, and by facilitating a reassessment or reappraisal of the evaluative information that emotions themselves provide. As a result, emotions can promote understanding of and insight into ourselves and our evaluative landscape. |
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Emotional Insight: The Epistemic Role of Emotional Experience Michael S. Brady No preview available - 2016 |
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accuracy affect appears appraisal appropriate argue attention aware basis behaviour belief central chapter circumstances claim cognitive common-sense concerns consider considerations constitute dangerous desire direct element emotional experience emotional object emotional responses epistemic role epistemic value epistemological evaluative beliefs evaluative judgements evaluative understanding evidence explain facilitate fact fear feeling focus genuine given goal grasp grounded idea that emotions important initial instance intentional involve justified kind knowledge lack least maintain matter moral motivate normal object or event objects and events one’s particular perceptual experience perceptual model persistence plausible play positive presented problems promote proposal puts question reappraisal reasons reasons or evidence reflection regard relations relevant reliably representational requires respect result seems sense shame significant similar situation standing story sufficient suggests tell theory things thought trust typically understanding versions virtue virtuous person wrong