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Single Idea 24000
[filed under theme 20. Action / C. Motives for Action / 3. Acting on Reason / a. Practical reason
]
Full Idea
A justifying reason will show that what you did, all things considered, was the right thing to do; an excusing reason will not justify, but will give some excuse to explain why you did what you did.
Gist of Idea
Justifying reasons say you were right; excusing reasons say your act was explicable
Source
Peter Goldie (The Emotions [2000], 6 Intro)
Book Ref
Goldie,Peter: 'The Emotions' [OUP 2002], p.142
A Reaction
There are also internal reasons before the event, and explicit reasons afterwards. A mistaken justification might still be an excuse.
The
34 ideas
from 'The Emotions'
23966
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The personal view can still be objective, so I call sciences 'impersonal', rather than objective
[Goldie]
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23968
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If reasons are seen impersonally (as just causal), then feelings are an irrelevant extra
[Goldie]
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23969
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We have feelings of which we are hardly aware towards things in the world
[Goldie]
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23967
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Some emotions are direct responses, and neither rational nor irrational
[Goldie]
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23970
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Emotions are not avocado pears, with a rigid core and changeable surface
[Goldie]
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23971
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Emotional thought is not rational, but it can be intelligible
[Goldie]
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23978
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'Having an emotion' differs from 'being emotional'
[Goldie]
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23979
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Emotional responses can reveal to us our values, which might otherwise remain hidden
[Goldie]
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23976
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If we have a 'feeling towards' an object, that gives the recognition a different content
[Goldie]
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23975
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Learning an evaluative property like 'dangerous' is also learning an emotion
[Goldie]
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23977
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When actions are performed 'out of' emotion, they appear to be quite different
[Goldie]
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23973
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Unlike moods, emotions have specific objects, though the difference is a matter of degree
[Goldie]
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23974
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Emotional intentionality as belief and desire misses out the necessity of feelings
[Goldie]
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23972
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A long lasting and evolving emotion is still seen as a single emotion, such as love
[Goldie]
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23980
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It is best to see emotions holistically, as embedded in a person's life narrative
[Goldie]
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23982
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If emotions are 'towards' things, they can't be bodily feelings, which lack aboutness
[Goldie]
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23983
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We call emotions 'passions' because they are not as controlled as we would like
[Goldie]
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23984
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An emotion needs episodes of feeling, but not continuously
[Goldie]
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23995
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Akrasia can be either overruling our deliberation, or failing to deliberate
[Goldie]
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23993
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Our capabilities did not all evolve during the hunter gathering period
[Goldie]
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23999
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Emotional control is hard, but we are responsible for our emotions over long time periods
[Goldie]
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23994
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Emotions are not easily changed, as new knowledge makes little difference, and akrasia is possible
[Goldie]
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23998
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Emotional control is less concerned with emotional incidents, and more with emotional tendencies
[Goldie]
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23991
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Cross-cultural studies of facial expressions suggests seven basic emotions
[Goldie]
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23992
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Some Aborigines have fifteen different words for types of fear
[Goldie]
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23986
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Early Chinese basic emotions: joy, anger, sadness, fear, love, disliking, and liking
[Goldie]
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23985
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A basic emotion is the foundation of a hierarchy, such as anger for types of annoyance
[Goldie]
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24000
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Justifying reasons say you were right; excusing reasons say your act was explicable
[Goldie]
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24001
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Moods can focus as emotions, and emotions can blur into moods
[Goldie]
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24003
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Character traits are both possession of and lack of dispositions
[Goldie]
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24002
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We over-estimate the role of character traits when explaining behaviour
[Goldie]
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24004
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Psychologists suggest we are muddled about traits, and maybe they should be abandoned
[Goldie]
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24005
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We know other's emotions by explanation, contagion, empathy, imagination, or sympathy
[Goldie]
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24006
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Empathy and imagining don't ensure sympathy, and sympathy doesn't need them
[Goldie]
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