Emotions as Concern-Based Construals Analytical Essay by Shaad
Emotions as Concern-Based Construals
A critical review of Robert C. Roberts' theory on emotions.
# 146702
| 919 words
| 4 sources
| APA
| 2010
| 
Published
by Shaad
on Jan 13, 2011
in
Philosophy
(Metaphysics)
, Psychology
(Theory)
, Philosophy
(General)
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Description:
The paper examines the claim of Robert C. Roberts that emotions are concern-based construals, where their cognitive and conative elements merge into each other to give rise to perceptual immediacy. The paper introduces Hume's notion of "reason being a slave to the passions" and explains how this precludes the possibility of metaphysics of the emotions. The principal aim of this paper is to show that even though emotions cannot be described in rational terms, there is nevertheless scope for philosophical clarity, and that Roberts' account of the emotions provides such clarity.
From the Paper:
"At first sight this appears to present a paradox. But it must be remembered that Roberts aims for a conceptual analysis rather that a purely rational one. According to deterministic psychology, only scientific methods can tell us what the emotions really are. For example, Paul Griffiths places the onus on evolutionary biology and neuroscience to describe emotion. But Roberts insists that such account must remain inadequate because the analysis must be at the level of the person, and that this level is irreplaceable. The personal concerns are paramount in this analysis. According to Roberts, "[a]s a concern-based construal the emotion makes two kinds of claims, first about what we might call the structure of the situation that the emotion is about, and second about its importance or bearing". The first claim involves an element of cognition, for its aim is to understand the world as it is. The second claim involves a conative element, i.e. it reflects the desires of the person, and projects such desires on to the world."Sample of Sources Used:
- Hume, D. (1986) Treatise of Human Nature, Penguin Classics, New York.
- Griffiths, P. (1997) What Emotions Really Are, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
- Nussbaum, M. (2001) Upheavals of Thought: The Intelligence of the Emotions, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
- Roberts, R. (2003) Emotions: An Essay in Aid of Moral Psychology, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Cite this Analytical Essay:
APA Format
Emotions as Concern-Based Construals (2011, January 13)
Retrieved March 25, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/analytical-essay/emotions-as-concern-based-construals-146702/
MLA Format
"Emotions as Concern-Based Construals" 13 January 2011.
Web. 25 March. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/analytical-essay/emotions-as-concern-based-construals-146702/>