There is little we are more familiar with than our own emotions, e.g. our anger at the referee about an unjust decision, or the disgust we feel when smelling a rotten banana. Despite this familiarity with our own emotions, we seem to lack a coherent theory of emotions that receives widespread agreement. In this seminar, we investigate this tension by raising some of the most difficult but also most interesting problems that both philosophers and neuroscientists of emotions face: (1) Are emotions natural kinds? (2) Are emotions mental or bodily states? (3) What do emotions represent, if they represent at all? (4) What do emotions like happiness and sadness have in common? (5) What is the interplay between thoughts and emotions? (6) Do we have access to other people’s emotions through our empathetic abilities? (7) How are emotion words processed in language. To this end, we will analyze current philosophical theories of emotions and empathy, and discuss their merit in light of the state-of-the-art picture on emotions in the cognitive and neurosciences.
Aside from active participation, participants will be expected to give a presentation in English or German Assistance regarding the English language will be provided.
Literature
· Goldie, Peter (2010, ed.). The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Emotion. Oxford: Oxford University Press
· Prinz, Jesse J. (2004). Gut Reactions – A Perceptual Theory of Emotion. New York: Oxford University Press.
- Kursleiter/in: Markus Werning