Single Idea 23979

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

Full Idea

Our emotional responses can reveal to us what we value, and what we value might not be epistemically accessible to us if we did not have such responses.

Gist of Idea

Emotional responses can reveal to us our values, which might otherwise remain hidden

Source

Peter Goldie (The Emotions [2000], 2 'Conclusion')

Book Reference

Goldie,Peter: 'The Emotions' [OUP 2002], p.48


A Reaction

This obviously invites the question of whether the emotion reveals the value, or determines the value. I suspect it is more the latter, because it is hard to see what art (for example) could have for us if we had no emotional responses.