Philosophy of the Emotions

Catalog description

Are emotions mere biological impulses, or are they intelligent appraisals of the world? This course investigates philosophical theories of emotion from Aristotle and the Stoics to contemporary accounts in phenomenology (Sartre, Heidegger), cognitive science, and virtue ethics. We will analyze specific emotions: fear, anger, love, shame, and grief. Topics include the rationality of emotions, their role in moral motivation, emotional labor, and the distinction between affect and feeling. The course culminates in an appraisal of whether emotions can be ?right? or ?wrong.?