Single Idea 20049

[catalogued under 20. Action / C. Motives for Action / 1. Acting on Desires]

Full Idea

Instead of assuming that your motivation depends on your emotional state, we might say that your emotional state depends on how you are motivated to act.

Gist of Idea

Maybe your emotions arise from you motivations, rather than being their cause

Source

Rowland Stout (Action [2005], 3 'Emotions')

Book Reference

Stout,Rowland: 'Action' [Acumen 2005], p.48


A Reaction

[He says this move is made by Kant, Thomas Nagel and McDowell] Stout favours the view that it is external facts which mainly give rise to actions, and presumably these facts are intrinsically motivating, prior to any emotions. I don't disagree.