Action, Emotion and Will


Book Description

The author examines the emotions and philosophy of human action.




Concepts in Thought, Action, and Emotion


Book Description

In recent years, the idea of a concept has become increasingly central to different areas of philosophy. This collection of original essays presents philosophical perspectives on the link between concepts and language, concepts and experience, concepts and know-how, and concepts and emotion. The essays span a variety of interrelated philosophical domains ranging from epistemology, philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, philosophy of action, and the philosophy of emotions. Among the central questions addressed by the contributors are: What are concepts? What is nonconceptual content? Does perceptual experience have conceptual content? Is conceptual thought language dependent? How do we form new concepts? Does practical knowledge have propositional content? Is practical understanding conceptual (without being propositional)? Do emotions have a representational content and if so, is the representational content conceptual? Concepts in Thought, Action, and Emotion advances current debates about concepts and will interest scholars across a broad range of philosophical disciplines.




Emotion, Reason, and Action in Kant


Book Description

This book is open access and available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. It is funded by Knowledge Unlatched. Though Kant never used the word 'emotion' in his writings, it is of vital significance to understanding his philosophy. This book offers a captivating argument for reading Kant considering the importance of emotion, taking into account its many manifestations in his work including affect and passion. Emotion, Reason, and Action in Kant explores how, in Kant's world view, our actions are informed, contextualized and dependent on the tension between emotion and reason. On the one hand, there are positive moral emotions that can and should be cultivated. On the other hand, affects and passions are considered illnesses of the mind, in that they lead to the weakness of the will, in the case of affects, and evil, in the case of passions. Seeing the role of these emotions enriches our understanding of Kant's moral theory. Exploring the full range of negative and positive emotions in Kant's work, including anger, compassion and sympathy, as well as moral feeling, Borges shows how Kant's theory of emotion includes both physiological and cognitive aspects. This is an important new contribution to Kant Studies, suitable for students of Kant, ethics, and moral psychology.




Feeling & Knowing


Book Description

From one of the world’s leading neuroscientists: a succinct, illuminating, wholly engaging investigation of how biology, neuroscience, psychology, and artificial intelligence have given us the tools to unlock the mysteries of human consciousness “One thrilling insight after another ... Damasio has succeeded brilliantly in narrowing the gap between body and mind.” —The New York Times Book Review In recent decades, many philosophers and cognitive scientists have declared the problem of consciousness unsolvable, but Antonio Damasio is convinced that recent findings across multiple scientific disciplines have given us a way to understand consciousness and its significance for human life. In the forty-eight brief chapters of Feeling & Knowing, and in writing that remains faithful to our intuitive sense of what feeling and experiencing are about, Damasio helps us understand why being conscious is not the same as sensing, why nervous systems are essential for the development of feelings, and why feeling opens the way to consciousness writ large. He combines the latest discoveries in various sciences with philosophy and discusses his original research, which has transformed our understanding of the brain and human behavior. Here is an indispensable guide to understand­ing how we experience the world within and around us and find our place in the universe.




Emotion-Focused Counselling in Action


Book Description

This is the definitive introduction to the theory and practice of emotion-focused counselling. Starting with an introduction to the main theory and concepts, it then guides you through the counselling phases from beginning to end. The final chapter extends your learning by examining different client populations, process research, and ways of monitoring your practice. Chapters include features such as case studies and transcripts, further reading sections and reflective exercises that help you to enhance your understanding of the approach.




The Illusion of Conscious Will


Book Description

A novel contribution to the age-old debate about free will versus determinism. Do we consciously cause our actions, or do they happen to us? Philosophers, psychologists, neuroscientists, theologians, and lawyers have long debated the existence of free will versus determinism. In this book Daniel Wegner offers a novel understanding of the issue. Like actions, he argues, the feeling of conscious will is created by the mind and brain. Yet if psychological and neural mechanisms are responsible for all human behavior, how could we have conscious will? The feeling of conscious will, Wegner shows, helps us to appreciate and remember our authorship of the things our minds and bodies do. Yes, we feel that we consciously will our actions, Wegner says, but at the same time, our actions happen to us. Although conscious will is an illusion, it serves as a guide to understanding ourselves and to developing a sense of responsibility and morality. Approaching conscious will as a topic of psychological study, Wegner examines the issue from a variety of angles. He looks at illusions of the will—those cases where people feel that they are willing an act that they are not doing or, conversely, are not willing an act that they in fact are doing. He explores conscious will in hypnosis, Ouija board spelling, automatic writing, and facilitated communication, as well as in such phenomena as spirit possession, dissociative identity disorder, and trance channeling. The result is a book that sidesteps endless debates to focus, more fruitfully, on the impact on our lives of the illusion of conscious will.




Emotion and Imagination


Book Description

Recent years have seen an enormous amount of philosophical research into the emotions and the imagination, but as yet little work has been done to connect the two. In his engaging and highly original new book, Adam Morton shows that all emotions require some form of imagination and goes on to fully explore the link between these two important concepts both within philosophy and in everyday life. We may take it for granted that complex emotions, such as hope and resentment, require a rich thinking and an engagement with the imagination, but Morton shows how more basic and responsive emotions such as fear and anger also require us to take account of possibilities and opportunities beyond the immediate situation. Interweaving a powerful tapestry of subtle argument with vivid detail, the book highlights that many emotions, more than we tend to suppose, require us to imagine a situation from a particular point of view and that this in itself can be the source of further emotional feeling. Morton goes on to demonstrate the important role that emotions play in our moral lives, throwing light on emotions such as self-respect, disapproval, and remorse, and the price we pay for having them. He explores the intricate nature of moral emotions and the challenges we face when integrating our thinking on morality and the emotions. This compelling and thought-provoking new book challenges many assumptions about the nature of emotion and imagination and will appeal to anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the role that these concepts play in our lives. The book also has far reaching implications that will spark debate amongst scholars and students for some time to come.




Regulating Emotion the DBT Way


Book Description

Regulating Emotion the DBT Way is a practical guide to the DBT skill of ‘Opposite Action’, which helps clients develop the skill of up- or down-regulating their emotions when necessary. It is the skill that fosters emotional literacy in clients who have learned to fear or avoid painful feelings. Part A of the text introduces emotion theory, describes how to validate emotions, and explains how Linehan’s ‘Opposite Action’ skill is used to regulate problematic responses. There are examples and analogies that can be shared with clients, and clinical examples to demonstrate the key points. There is a description of how DBT therapists contextualise emotion using chain analysis. Part B dedicates a chapter to each of the basic emotions and describes its signature features. A session scenario is included allowing the reader to see how the therapist coaches the skill of opposite action, elicits behavioural rehearsal, and gives corrective feedback. There are some tips on handling common issues specific to that emotion, based on the author’s extensive experience. This book will be of interest to any therapist who wants to learn more about a behavioural approach to emotion such as psychologists, nurses, social workers, psychiatrists, counsellors, cognitive therapists, prison staff, and occupational therapists. It is an accessible explanation of emotion regulation for people who have already undertaken DBT training.




The Oxford Illustrated History of Western Philosophy


Book Description

Written by a team of distinguished scholars, this is an authoritative and comprehensive history of Western philosophy from its earliest beginnings to the present day. The book is illustrated with over 150 colour and black-and-white pictures, chosen to illuminate and complement the text. Now in paperback, this lively and readable volume is an ideal introduction to philosophy for anyone interested in the history of ideas. An outstanding team of contributors... Stephen. R. L. Clark on Ancient Philosophy Paul Vincent Spade on Medieval Philosophy Anthony Kenny on Descartes to Kant Roger Scruton on Continental Philosophy from Fichte to Sartre David Pears and Anthony Kenny on Mill to Wittgenstein Anthony Quinton on Political Philosophy - ;Written by a team of distinguished scholars, this is an authoritative and comprehensive history of Western philosophy from its earliest beginnings to the present day. The book is illustrated with over 150 colour and black-and-white pictures, chosen to illuminate and complement the text. Lively and readable, this is an ideal introduction to philosophy for anyone interested in the history of ideas. `a wonderfully lucid exposition of difficult ideas' Tablet `Anthony Kenny, the editor of this courageously erudite compendium, reminds us that philosophy has always been fascinated by the interweaving of words and images, while artists have played upon philosophic concepts.' Observer - ;Preface; Ancient Philosophy; Medieval Philosophy; Descartes to Kant; Continental Philosophy from Fichte to Sartre; Mill to Wittgenstein; Political Philosophy; Conclusion: Contemporary Philosophy. - ;a wonderfully lucid exposition of difficult ideas - Tablet;Anthony Kenny, the editor of this courageously erudite compendium, reminds us that philosophy has always been fascinated by the interweaving of words and images, while artists have played upon philosophic concepts. - Observer




Emotional


Book Description

We’ve all been told that thinking rationally is the key to success. But at the cutting edge of science, researchers are discovering that feeling is every bit as important as thinking. You make hundreds of decisions every day, from what to eat for breakfast to how you should invest, and not one of those decisions would be possible without emotion. It has long been said that thinking and feeling are separate and opposing forces in our behavior. But as Leonard Mlodinow, the best-selling author of Subliminal, tells us, extraordinary advances in psychology and neuroscience have proven that emotions are as critical to our well-being as thinking. How can you connect better with others? How can you make sense of your frustration, fear, and anxiety? What can you do to live a happier life? The answers lie in understanding your emotions. Journeying from the labs of pioneering scientists to real-world scenarios that have flirted with disaster, Mlodinow shows us how our emotions can help, why they sometimes hurt, and what we can learn in both instances. Using deep insights into our evolution and biology, Mlodinow gives us the tools to understand our emotions better and to maximize their benefits. Told with his characteristic clarity and fascinating stories, Emotional explores the new science of feelings and offers us an essential guide to making the most of one of nature’s greatest gifts.