Essay on "Philosophy of Mind Emotions"

Essay 5 pages (1594 words) Sources: 0

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Philosophy of Mind: Emotions

Philosophy of mind

William James defines emotions as a solely perceptions of the bodily feelings. At the same time, Martha Nussbaum argues that emotions are eudaimonistic, simply because they tend to be concerned with flourishing and agent's well-being. However, there is no extreme of the emotional theory spectrum that is sufficient enough by itself to define emotion adequately. On the other hand the argument of Robert Solomon is that theory of William James has ignored the essential emotional intentionality. Theory of emotion by Nussbaum has replied every posed criticism convincingly as mentioned by other theorists, even though her claim is that emotions are not bodily change perceptions, he accepted the summary that in case perceptions and judgments of bodily changes take place simultaneously, they tend to take place for the flourishing as well as benefit of the agent. Therefore, theory of Nussbaum is the most persuasive for it captures every factor that has been believed to be of importance to the experience of emotion.

The argument of Martha Nussbaum is highly persuasive and complete of the emotions. Generally the perspective of emotions has taken two lines. A section of the scholars hold that emotions are just bodily feelings perception. The other group holds that emotions are just judgments and beliefs about intentional objects; these are cognitivists. However, Nussbaum has not taken the line of a complete exclusion of bodily feelings as other cognitivists have taken. Since the argument of Nussbaum has been successfully applied in countering criticisms on both ends of the emotional theory spectrum, the revelation is that she has incorporated the fact that perceptions simultaneous occurrence pertaining bodily changes as well as beliefs/judgments accommodates a flourishing of agents.

In her definition, Nussbaum describe emotions as acknowledgements of neediness and failure to have self-sufficiency. This means that in case an individual experiences an emotion, this has come about from some external objects that have not satisfied what that person wants in some respect. She goes ahead to acknowledge that it is important for emotions to be intentional, or maybe it should be regarding an equally important thing as the role that such a thing plays within the life of that individual. She as well never misses to argue this most important facet that refers emotions to be eudaimonistic. This reveals that emotions tend to revolve around flourishing agents. Nussbaum has indeed affirmed that emotions are judgment-based, but she as well accepts that to greater extent bodily feeling has an important role in carrying out emotion. Therefore as derived from her view that emotion is eudaimonistic, feelings and judgment from the body takes place at the same time for the subject's well-being. However, an individual may develop argument in response of the Nussbaum that she has failed to give the maximum attention required on importance of bodily feelings.

Theory of William James has used an abstraction perspective in defining emotion. He starts by arguing that in case an individual have not perceived bodily change, then such person do not have an emotion. He continues to argue that in case an individual poses emotion, then that individual perceives a bodily change. In case the emotional occurrence involves a bodily change, then it means emotions will be perception of bodily changes. He summarize that, due to the fact that emotions involve bodily change, emotions are definitely perception of bodily change. He gives an example in his argument that it is next to impossible for an individual to fancy the state of rage and picture without flushing his face, ebullition of it in the chest, without impulse to vigorous action, and dilation of his nostril. James suggest that in case the entire bodily changes happen to be wiped out from emotion like anger, then we remain without anything but just what he term as a cold as well as neutral state of intellectual perception.

Nussbaum together with cognitivists do not agree with this argument. Many times people always associate emotions with some sort of bodily feeling. An example given by James is among his strongest argument points and we do accept its importance because it can be unrealistic for somebody to say that he or she is angry without feeling angry. His argument suggests that for an emotional to take place then perception of the body should be necessary, however he has failed to bring out enough evidence that show emotion to be exclusively perception of bodily change. More criticisms have been subjected to James' theory, for example, we can decide to accept that emotions involves perception of bodily change, however the argument does not really follow that indeed emotions are perceptions of bodily change. Such false conclusion may make us concludes further that any kind of bodily change perception is an emotion, however definitely this can never be true. An example can be drawn in a situation where a thermostat has been set too low within a room, an individual would before long get the chills and bumps on his hand, here it not easy to say that the perception of such bodily changes was constituted by emotion; the person is just cold.

Another area of criticism is emotional differentiation. Which way a person will be able to differentiate two emotions? Due to the fact that James' theory have relied squarely on perception of bodily changes, he has to argue that there is no shades of emotion that has to be unique without a bodily reverberation, after being considered in its totality, just like the very mental mood. Therefore, every emotion is supposed to have an exceptional set of organic activities to make a person never to enter into confusion; fear at the same time excitement. James argument holds that in case excitement and fear is made up of similar organic activities then they form a similar emotion. On the other hand, a detailed look of the feelings that forms some emotions like excitement and fear, it becomes tricky to determine the real physical difference that exists between the two. As a matter of fact fear and excitement that are associated with bodily changes tend to be analogous, such as increased flushing of the face, heart rate among others. It becomes somehow challenging to confirm that within the short duration of time that an emotion takes to happen is the exclusive variation of the slightest disparity in bodily changes, leads to that emotion. Therefore it shows that there should something to be added to emotion than such distinction. This criticism has been as well echoed by Nussbaum that it is not able to confirm the manner in which people determine and individuate emotions.

Moreover, in case James' argument on emotion is to be taken into consideration then there could be a misinterpretation of feelings of bodily changes. That can lead a person to have fear when bodily change feelings have been constitutive of excitement. Such possibility can be said to be counterintuitive due to the fact that a person will on the odd occasion feel an emotion like fear in a circumstance that was supposed to make him excited. Also, we can say that emotion has something more than just differentiating between bodily changes' feeling since situational context have a heavy bearing on what and the way emotion is elicited. According to the study that was carried out by Singer and Schachter, bodily changes will only qualify as emotion when associated with judgments attributing such changes to relevant events or objects regarding emotion. Considering this study with the other objections form a basis to argue that James' theory is less comprehensive as may be thought by people. Therefore in defining the emotions, James' theory is insufficient for it left out the essential facets that can be used to understand emotions and the reasons we experience them.

Martha Nussbaum… READ MORE

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