Emotion as Feeling Towards Value: A Theory of Emotional Experience

Emotions are essential to our lives, and Jonathan Mitchell proposes an original view of emotional experiences as feelings-towards-values. He argues that emotional experiences include (non-bodily) felt attitudes that represent evaluative properties of the objects of those experiences and that the content of emotional experience is evaluative. He also introduces a distinctive role for bodily feelings, by way of a somatic enrichment of the felt valenced attitudes involved in emotional experience. Finally, he considers issues pertaining to the intelligibility of emotions and shows how the feelings-towards-values view can account for the way in which emotional experiences often make sense in a first-person way.

Format: Hardback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 09 September 2021
Publisher: Oxford University Press

Emotions play a vital role in shaping our lives, influencing our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. They are unique mental states that cannot be fully explained or understood through the lens of other mental states such as perceptions, judgments, or bodily feelings. In his book "Emotional Experiences: A Philosophical Analysis," Jonathan Mitchell takes a fresh approach to understanding emotions by proposing that they be viewed as feelings-towards-values.

According to Mitchell, emotional experiences are sui generis states that deserve their own analysis and place within our mental economy. He argues that emotions are not merely reactions to external stimuli but rather involve (non-bodily) felt attitudes that represent evaluative properties of the particular objects of those experiences. These felt attitudes are what give emotions their distinctive character and make them different from other mental states.

One of the central ideas in Mitchell's view is that emotional experiences include (non-bodily) felt attitudes that represent evaluative properties of the particular objects of those experiences. These felt attitudes are not just subjective feelings or evaluations but rather objective properties of the objects that we perceive or interact with. For example, when we experience joy, we are not just feeling happy; we are also feeling that something is good or valuable. Similarly, when we experience anger, we are not just feeling angry; we are also feeling that something is wrong or unfair.

Mitchell argues that the content of emotional experience is evaluative. This means that emotions are not just subjective experiences but rather have objective properties that can be assessed and evaluated. He suggests that the best way to marry this claim with the presence of specific kinds of valenced attitudinal components in emotional experience is to introduce the notion of somatic enrichment. Somatic enrichment involves the integration of bodily feelings with the felt valenced attitudes involved in emotional experience.

According to Mitchell, bodily feelings play a distinctive role in emotional experience. They provide us with a physical manifestation of our emotional states and help us to connect with our emotions in a more embodied way. By incorporating bodily feelings into the analysis of emotional experience, we can gain a deeper understanding of how emotions work and how they interact with our bodies and minds.

Mitchell also considers issues pertaining to the intelligibility of emotions. He argues that the feelings-towards-values view can account for the way in which emotional experiences often make sense in a first-person way. Emotions are not just subjective experiences that are private to the individual but rather are public and shared with others. The felt attitudes involved in emotional experiences are often accessible to others and can be understood through social and cultural norms and conventions.

In conclusion, emotions are a complex and multifaceted aspect of human experience that cannot be fully understood or explained through the lens of other mental states. Jonathan Mitchell's view of emotional experiences as feelings-towards-values provides a fresh and innovative approach to understanding emotions. By proposing that emotions involve (non-bodily) felt attitudes that represent evaluative properties of the particular objects of those experiences, Mitchell offers a new framework for theorizing about emotions and their contents. Through the notion of somatic enrichment, he also introduces a distinctive role for bodily feelings, which helps to deepen our understanding of how emotions work and how they interact with our bodies and minds. The feelings-towards-values view can also account for the intelligibility of emotions, as it recognizes that emotions are public and shared with others and can be understood through social and cultural norms and conventions.

Weight: 394g
Dimension: 145 x 224 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780192846013