Emotions Are Not Modules

Canadian Journal of Philosophy 36 (sup1):53-71 (2006)
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Abstract

Jane is calmly strolling through the forest one lovely day. Suddenly, a large spider drops in front of her face. She immediately freezes; her heart races; her hands tremble; her face broadcasts “fear.” She screams and runs away. Both before and after, she concedes that spiders in this forest are harmless.Jane's reaction to the spider contrasts greatly with the way she normally reacts to events. Normally, or so the story goes, Jane weighs her options thoughtfully, choosing a course of action consistent with her beliefs and with the greatest benefit. Indeed, her reaction to the spider contrasts so greatly with calm, rational, deliberate, belief-consistent action that traditional folk psychology supposed two different kinds of mechanism are at work: animal-like emotion versus human reason. Her emotion explains her reaction to the spider. Her emotion made her do it.

Other Versions

reprint Russell, James A. (2008) "Emotions are not modules". In Faucher, Luc, Tappolet, Christine, The modularity of emotions, pp. 53-71: University of Calgary Press (2008)

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James Russell
Trent University

References found in this work

The Emotions.Nico Frijda - 1986 - Cambridge University Press.
Appraisal determinants of discrete emotions.Ira J. Roseman - 1991 - Cognition and Emotion 5 (3):161-200.

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