176 Pages
    by Routledge

    176 Pages
    by Routledge

    While human beings might be rational animals, they are emotional animals as well. Emotions play a central role in all areas of our lives and if we are to have a proper understanding of human life and activity, we ought to have a good grasp of the emotions. Michael S. Brady structures Emotion: The Basics around two basic, yet fundamental, questions: What are emotions? And what do emotions do? In answering these questions Brady provides insight into a core component of all our lives, covering:

    • the nature of emotion;
    • emotion, knowledge, and understanding;
    • emotion and action;
    • emotions and social groups;
    • emotion, morality, and art.

    In this concise and insightful introduction, Brady explains why we are often better off as a result of emotion rather than reason being in the driving seat, as our lives, both individual and social, would be significantly impoverished without the emotions. With a glossary of key terms and suggestions for further reading, Emotion: The Basics is an ideal starting point for anyone seeking a full introduction to the philosophical study of emotion.

    Acknowledgments

    Introduction

     

    Chapter 1 The Nature of Emotion

    How to do philosophy (of emotion)

    Some complications

    Three theories of emotion

    A different theoretical perspective

     

    Chapter 2 Emotion, Knowledge, and Understanding

    Curiosity

    Emotion, attention, and understanding

    Emotion and intellectual virtue

     

    Chapter 3 Emotion and Action

    Emotions and decisions

    Motivation, dispositions, and desires

    The role of feeling in motivation

     

    Chapter 4 Emotions and Social Groups

    Love and commitment

    Pride and the communication of virtue

    The social value of group emotion

     

    Chapter 5 Emotion, Morality, and Art

    Emotion and morality

    The arts and emotion

     

    Glossary

    Bibliography

    Biography

    Michael S. Brady is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Glasgow, UK. He works on the philosophy of emotion and its links with moral philosophy and epistemology, and has published and edited a number of books in these areas.

    'This is an excellent book: lucidly and engagingly written, packed with appealing examples, and persuasively argued. While developing his own thesis, Brady takes care throughout to draw his readers into the debate, providing them with the tools to think about the issues for themselves. The result is a stimulating and illuminating introduction to the philosophy of emotion.'

    Carolyn Price, The Open University, UK