Combining Texts

Ideas for 'From an Ontological Point of View', 'The Passions of the Soul' and 'Things qua Truthmakers'

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5 ideas

18. Thought / A. Modes of Thought / 3. Emotions / c. Role of emotions

4015	For Descartes passions are God-given preservers of the mind-body union [Descartes, by Taylor,C]
	Full Idea: Descartes sees passions not as opinions, but as functional devices that the Creator has designed for us to help preserve the body-soul substantial union.
	From: report of René Descartes (The Passions of the Soul [1649]) by Charles Taylor - Sources of the Self §8
	A reaction: I wonder what Descartes would have made of the theory of evolution?

18. Thought / A. Modes of Thought / 3. Emotions / e. Basic emotions

4313	Are there a few primary passions (say, joy, sadness and desire)? [Descartes, by Cottingham]
	Full Idea: Descartes says there are six primary passions (wonder, love, hatred, desire, joy and sadness); Spinoza says there are just three (joy, sadness and desire).
	From: report of René Descartes (The Passions of the Soul [1649]) by John Cottingham - The Rationalists p.172
	A reaction: A dubious project. However, it is now agreed that there are a few (six?) basic universal facial expressions, to which these passions may correspond.

23989	There are six primitive passions: wonder, love, hatred, desire, joy and sadness [Descartes, by Goldie]
	Full Idea: Descartes said there are six primitive passions, namely wonder, love, hatred, desire, joy and sadness. The others are either species of these, or composed of them.
	From: report of René Descartes (The Passions of the Soul [1649], 353) by Peter Goldie - The Emotions 4 'Evidence'
	A reaction: [not sure about ref] It's a nice touch to add 'wonder', which doesn't make it onto anyone else's list.

18. Thought / C. Content / 6. Broad Content

7058	Externalism is causal-historical, or social, or biological [Heil]
	Full Idea: Some externalists focus on causal-historical connections, others emphasise social matters (especially thinkers' linguistic communities), still others focus on biological function.
	From: John Heil (From an Ontological Point of View [2003], 18.5 n6)
	A reaction: Helpful. The social view strikes me as the one to take most seriously (allowing for contextual views of justification, and for the social role of experts). The problem is to combine the social view with realism and a robust view of truth.

18. Thought / C. Content / 7. Narrow Content

7057	Intentionality is based in dispositions, which are intrinsic to agents, suggesting internalism [Heil]
	Full Idea: I suggest that intentionality is grounded in the dispositionalities of agents. Dispositions are intrinsic to agents, so this places me on the side of the internalists and against the externalists.
	From: John Heil (From an Ontological Point of View [2003], 18.4)
	A reaction: I think this is a key idea, and the right view. The key question is whether we see intentionality as active or passive. The externalist view seems to see the brain as a passive organ which the world manipulates. If the brain is active, what is it doing?