more from this thinker     |     more from this text

Single Idea 23956

[filed under theme 18. Thought / A. Modes of Thought / 3. Emotions / c. Role of emotions ]

Full Idea

The Myth of the Passions says emotions are irrational forces beyond our control, disruptive and stupid, unthinking and counterproductive, against our 'better interests', and often ridiculous.

Gist of Idea

The Myth of the Passions says they are irrational, uncontrolled and damaging

Source

Robert C. Solomon (The Passions [1976], 6.4)

Book Ref

Solomon,Robert C.: 'The Passions (1993 ed)' [Hackett 1993], p.181

A Reaction

The Myth is very unlikely to be correct, for evolutionary reasons. How could there be a selection for a mental feature which distorts truths and leads to dangerous misjudgements? Most emotions motivate us to act successfully. So why do some run wild?

The 19 ideas with the same theme [role played by emotion in mental life]:

4015 For Descartes passions are God-given preservers of the mind-body union [Descartes, by Taylor,C]
19415 Passions reside in confused perceptions [Leibniz]
24011 Kant thought emotions are too random and passive to be part of morality [Kant, by Williams,B]
15577 Moods are more fundamentally revealing than theories - as when fear reveals a threat [Heidegger, by Polt]
24014 Emotions are a sort of bodily incantation which brings a magic to the world [Sartre]
24015 Emotions makes us believe in and live in a new world [Sartre]
23946 The passions are subjective, concerning what is important to me, rather than facts [Solomon]
23940 Emotions are strategies for maximising our sense of dignity and self-esteem [Solomon]
23936 It is only our passions which give our lives meaning [Solomon]
23949 Passions exist as emotions, moods and desires, which all generate meaning [Solomon]
23956 The Myth of the Passions says they are irrational, uncontrolled and damaging [Solomon]
23963 Which emotions we feel depends on our sense of our own powers [Solomon]
24008 Reference to a person's emotions is often essential to understanding their actions [Williams,B]
4269 An emotion is a motive which is also a feeling [Scruton]
23979 Emotional responses can reveal to us our values, which might otherwise remain hidden [Goldie]
23976 If we have a 'feeling towards' an object, that gives the recognition a different content [Goldie]
23977 When actions are performed 'out of' emotion, they appear to be quite different [Goldie]
23980 It is best to see emotions holistically, as embedded in a person's life narrative [Goldie]
23982 If emotions are 'towards' things, they can't be bodily feelings, which lack aboutness [Goldie]