Introductory description

Emotions are at the centre of our lives. They are involved in how we think, act, and relate to others. You are likely experiencing some of them as you read, perhaps feeling intrigued by the title of this module and curious to find out more. Hopefully, you will not be bored by the end of this description… We are intimately familiar with our emotions, yet much about them remains puzzling. Emotions infuse our lives with meaning, for better or worse: at times, supporting our wellbeing, at others, getting in the way. They are not merely private experiences, but also shape our relationships with others – consider, for example, friendship and love. Some emotions, such as compassion and anger, further play a central role in our moral and political lives.

All of this makes emotions an interesting topic of investigation. In this module, we explore what is distinctive about a philosophical investigation of our emotional lives, including specific emotions. Emotions raise a range of questions across different areas of philosophy, including philosophy of mind, ethics, moral philosophy, moral psychology, and political philosophy. We focus on three central questions in the philosophy of emotions:
(1) What is an emotion?
(2) Are emotions good or bad for us?
(3) Can we regulate our emotions, and if so, how?
We address these questions by drawing on a wide range of texts from the history of philosophy, from antiquity to the present, including figures and traditions from diverse cultural contexts. We also examine sophisticated accounts of specific emotions, such as anger, hope, sympathy, compassion, self-love, shame, and love.

Although we engage with exciting texts from the history of philosophy, our investigation is not purely historical. The module’s aim is to do philosophy of the emotions through the history of philosophy. We evaluate the theoretical contribution of historical theories and accounts of the emotions to more recent philosophical debates, as well as their practical relevance for contemporary life.

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

Indicative outline syllabus

Week 1: Introduction & What is an emotion? (1) William James on emotions as bodily feelings

Week 2: What is an emotion? (2) Martha Nussbaum on emotions as value judgments

Week 3: Seneca and the other Stoics on anger and the therapy of the emotions

Week 4: Aristotle and Confucius on emotion and virtue

Week 5: Thomas Aquinas on hope

Week 6: Reading Week

Week 7: Adam Smith and Sophie de Grouchy on sympathy

Week 8: Jean-Jacques Rousseau on self-love and compassion

Week 9: Bernard Williams on shame

Week 10: Simone de Beauvoir on love

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Closely read and critically analyse texts of high complexity
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key theories and accounts of emotions in the history of philosophy
• Identify central issues and debates in the philosophy of emotion
• Compare and evaluate differing philosophical theories and accounts of emotions
• Apply philosophical analysis to specific emotions to reflect on emotional experience in personal, moral, and political contexts
• Develop and defend their own philosophical views through well-reasoned arguments
• Demonstrate written communication skills through the completion of assignments
• Demonstrate oral communication skills through active participation in learning sessions

Indicative reading list

Reading lists can be found in Talis

Research element

Students will produce essays that require research into relevant primary and secondary literature and the development of independent critical analyses and arguments.

Subject specific skills

Students will

• Practice and enhance their close reading and critical analysis skills;
• Practice and enhance their philosophical skills in interpretation and argument;
• Practice and enhance their scholarly ability to engage primary and secondary sources to evaluate, critique, and build upon existing views in the literature;
• Be able to interpret and evaluate different philosophical theories and accounts of emotions in their specific historical contexts;
• Acquire an appreciation of how key figures in the history of philosophy have shaped our understanding of the emotions;
• Be able to apply philosophical theories of emotion to real-world moral and political issues, critically assessing their implications for contemporary debates;
• Practice and enhance their ability to communicate clearly and effectively about issues concerning emotion in the history of philosophy and in contemporary philosophical debates.

Transferable skills

Students will

• Practice and enhance their critical thinking skills—their ability to independently analyse and evaluate conflicting views;
• Practice and enhance their written and oral communication skills;
• Develop self-awareness by recognizing and reflecting on their own emotions and ethical values;
• Cultivating a degree of emotional literacy;
• Develop intercultural awareness;
• Time management;
• Independent research skills.