What are emotions, and how do emotions relate to other mental phenomena, such as beliefs, desires, perceptions, and moods? What distinguishes different types of emotions from each other, such as anger, fear, sadness, shame, and joy? Are some emotions natural kinds, or are all emotions social constructions? This course will introduce students to, and help them critically evaluate, the leading philosophical theories of the nature of emotions. Topics to be discussed may include: judgmentalist theories, perceptualist theories, motivational theories, and feeling theories; whether there are any 'basic' emotions; and the nature of specific types of emotions such as anger or shame.
- Lehrende(r): Samuel Mason