The Emotions by Peter Goldie

The Emotions by Peter Goldie

Peter Goldie opens the path to a deeper understanding of our emotional lives through a lucid philosophical exploration of this surprisingly neglected topic. He illuminates the phenomena of emotion by drawing not only on philosophy but also on literature and science. He considers the roles of culture and evolution in the development of our emotional capabilities. He examines the links between emotion, mood, and character, and places the emotions in the context of such related phenomena as consciousness, thought, feeling, and imagination. He explains how it is that we are able to make sense of our own and other people's emotions, and how we can explain the very human things which emotions lead us to do. A key theme of The Emotions is the idea of a personal perspective or point of view, contrasted with the impersonal stance of the empirical sciences. Goldie argues that it is only from the personal point of view that thoughts, reasons, feelings, and actions come into view. He suggests that there is a tendency for philosophers to over-intellectualize the emotions, and investigates how far it is possible to explain emotions in terms of rationality. Over-intellectualizing can also involve neglecting the centrality of feelings, and Goldie shows how to put them where they belong, as part of the intentionality of emotional experience, directed towards the world from a point of view. Goldie argues that the various elements of emotional experience--including thought, feeling, bodily change, and expression--are tied together in a narrative structure. To make sense of one's emotional life one has to see it as part of a larger unfolding narrative. The narrative is not simply an interpretative framework of a life: it is what that life is. Goldie concludes by applying these ideas in a close study of one particular emotion: jealousy. This fascinating book gives an accessible but penetrating exploration of a subject that is important but mysterious to all of us. Any reader interested in emotion, and its role in our understanding of our lives, will find much to think about here.

one of the best books on the emotions written so far in this hot and sexy new field * Robert CSolomon, International Philosophical Quarterly 2001 *
This extraordinarily insightful book, lucidly written, provides new understandings and challenges that every student of emotion will need to consider. * Paul Ekman, Professor of Psychology, University of California, San Francisco *
I found the book a most impressive performance and I recommend it with enthusiasm to anyone interested in the latest word in the philosophy of emotions and anyone interested in teaching a course in the field * Robert C. Solomon, International Philosophical Quarterly 2001 *
what he [Goldie] offers us is a carefully nuanced "exploration" of the various facets of emotional experience and emotion * Robert C. Solomon, International Philosophical Quarterly 2001 *
commendable new book. * Nicholas Fern, Spectator *

Peter Goldie is Samuel Hall Chair in Philosophy at The University of Manchester; and has held posts at King's College London and Magdalen College, Oxford. He is the author of The Emotions: A Philosophical Exploration (2000) and On Personality (2004).

Elisabeth Schellekens is Senior Lecturer in the Philosophy Department at Durham University. With Peter Goldie she was a joint researcher in an AHRC Innovation Award project on philosophy and conceptual art. She is editor (with Peter Goldie) of Philosophy and Conceptual Art (2007) and author of Aesthetics and Morality (2007).

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780199253043
ISBN 10	0199253048
Title	The Emotions
Author	Peter Goldie
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Oxford University Press
Year published	2002-08-01
Number of pages	272
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.