Emotional actions

A new approach

Bibliographic Data

ID20142303
AuthorsDavid Pineda (0000-0001-5710-1636, corresponding author), David Pineda-Oliva (0000-0002-2505-7551, Faculty of Arts, Philosophy University of Girona Girona Spain, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume89
Issue5
Pages671-689
Publication date2023-10-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueTheoria (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0040-5825 • E-ISSN: 1755-2567
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/theo.12490
OpenAlexW4386127294
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited30

The recent philosophical literature on emotional action is divided between Humeans, who think that emotional action, for all its peculiarities, can in fact be explained along Humean lines, that is, with belief–desire pairs; and emotionists, who think that emotional actions can only be explained by appealing to emotions and some of their special features. After reviewing this philosophical discussion, I will argue, first, that none of the philosophical accounts of emotional action analysed, whether Humean or emotionist, is satisfactory enough. Second, I will argue that this philosophical debate has reached a stalemate, which does not allow further progress and which has not been able to provide us with a compelling account of such emotional actions where it is not obvious which is the goal involved. Third, I will argue that in order to overcome this stalemate, we need to approach emotional action in a radically different way. Drawing on ideas from some psychologists, I will suggest that the relevant philosophical issue should be whether emotional action is, or is not, goal‐directed. Finally, I will suggest how emotional actions, particularly the most puzzling ones, can be accounted for according to this new approach

Action (physics) · Epistemology · Political science · Politics · Stalemate · Emotions and Moral Behavior · Law · Philosophical Ethics and Theory · Philosophy · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment

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