Article Analysis: Emotions and Choices by Robert C. Solomon

Let’s begin to examine what Jagger’s method of investigative dispassionate belief means. Jagger realizes that emotion, like sensory observation is ignored or not taken into consideration in western epistemology. Jagger believes however, that emotions are needed for human survival and thus, emotions have an essential and useful value and “without emotion, human life would be unthinkable”. (pp.190, Jagger)

Jennifer S. Lerner, author of Emotion and Decision Making, talks about how our emotions can actively affect our actions. In Lerner’s book, it states, “We start with emotions arising from the judgement or a choice at hand, a type of emotion that strongly and routinely shapes decision making.” Our emotions cause us to make certain decisions in our everyday lives. For example a person who is feeling nervous and anxious about a specific outcome of a risky situation may choose a more safe route. A person who admires an organization may donate money. In both cases, our the way we feel about something or someone determines how we address a situation and how we treat someone or something. In some way our emotions act as our conscience in each situation we go through that requires us to choose an outcome .

People prejudge others before you get to know them. “loaded language” (5). Plays on personal feelings from past beliefs, as well as, prejudgment in our interactions with others. We need to ask one’s mind is it right to do, or say. Is my conscience clear in the midst of a panic? We can change our mind set on how we communicate with real life issues that are very complex. I feel from reading Weston’s book that if he can reach out and make a change in the world and help others change their moral mindset of thinking we all would live happier. I feel if we apply passion to our thinking when using emotions that it too can play a strong role in our ability to problem-solve. Letting our emotions get in the way of our thinking for a positive outcome is okay. As he reaches out to open minds on having more than one possibility to help solve a problem, when one is in an emotional state of mind, it can alter our way of thinking morally. Does redirecting a situation when emotions are high make it an ethical decision. Let us compare this to family court, when parents are bashing each other to look better than the other parent, is it the right thing. Does this help escalate their situation or make it worse? Our ability to problem solve has gone hay wire in today’s court systems, maybe. Having angry and sad emotions help give a direct understanding to equal morals. Overlooking morel ethics can be damaging to equality. He inquires we should be mindful thinkers. I feel Anthony wants us to be mindful thinkers in every aspect of decision making. When I say mindful I don’t mean having a one-sided thought. I am talking about being open minded, even if it means thinking of the other person. How would I feel being in that person’s shoes? What did they do to get here? Would you travel in his/her shoes after knowing their battle? Some would say yes others would say no, while a few would say what they could have done better not to be in that

Few workers would want to follow a passionless leader. However, if that same passion blinds the decision making process to the point of failure, than passion obviously went from good to bad. As excess anger can be one of the most destructive of all emotions, Goleman spends a good deal of time speaking to it. He quotes Benjamin Franklin: “Anger is never without a reason, but seldom a good one”. He speaks to the folly of trying to prevent anger and focuses on techniques to diffuse it before it becomes personally or career damaging.

Attempts to define “emotion” have proved to be rather difficult. Instead of searching for a comprehensive definition, Gross (2011) describes the three core features of emotions. First, emotions occur when an individual decides that a situation is relevant to his or her goals. Second, emotions are multi-faceted, and involve both subjective and physiological experiences, as well as behaviors. The third feature involves the authoritative nature of emotions. They have the powerful ability to interrupt ongoing processes, assert their priority over other activities, and force their way into awareness. For example, some traditions describe emotions as “disorganized interruptions of mental activity” (Salovey & Mayer, 1989). Emotions are such an

Individuals fail in life due to their inability to be true to their emotions. According

This book is divided into three parts. The first, 'Emotional Strategies: An Existentialist Perspective ' observes in some detail the ways in which we engage the world through sixteen different emotions, with several of their permutations. Following Heidegger; who believes that emotions tunes us to the world and Sartre; who reasons that emotions have a purpose, Solomon claims that we are responsible for our emotions. This coincides with the fundamental Stoic insight that we “are” our emotions. Aristotle discussed certain emotions at length, notably anger, which he described in remarkably modern terms. Commonly classified as a basic negative and destructive emotion, emotional reactions can usefully be read as, and ultimately even identified with, strategies we adopt as a way of dealing with the challenges of our lives- for example, prompting us to fight for justice and protecting our rights. Thus even

Morality is a complicated matter, one which requires rationality, but is often driven by emotions. A person’s behavior is almost completely driven by emotions and often times emotions are what tell us when something might be wrong or right. Motivation also comes from emotions, so without feelings of anger, depression, frustration and the like we would hardly ever do anything in order to change things in our lives (Shafer-Landau, 2015, p. 258). Virtue ethics then is concerned with what makes a person virtuous versus vicious when it comes to making moral decisions, with emotions playing an important role. In this paper, I support Aristotle’s emphasis on emotions as a key to being virtuous, especially since emotions tell us what is important and motivate us to act (Shafer-Landau, 2015, p. 257-258).

In addition, dealing with emotions allows people to feel the emotions as they arise within each person. When a person feels angry, they should allow themselves to feel that anger, and vent it out in some form or the other, without causing any harm to others. Unlike Lady Macbeth starts to feeling angry, nervous, scared, and freaks out when she thinks and imagines the blood on her hands. She states, “O, proper stuff! This is the very painting of your fear. This is the air-drawn dagger which you said Led you to Duncan. O, these flaws and starts,

Adults, for example, experience anger mostly because of their ego and anger which generally occurs because they are trying to protect or enhance their self-esteem (128). Too, adults generally put the blame onto somebody whether it be who has seemingly mistreated them or they tend to feel guilt or shame toward themselves (128). In contrast, Lazarus feels that a baby at three months, cannot understand the intent of an action, and therefore cannot find a reason to feel angry (129). Therefore, a baby’s anger is much different from that of an adult’s anger. It is difficult for babies to understand the actions of another or to act out in a way that attends to their ego or their self-esteem (129). With this theory, it suggests that emotions occur in three stages overall: the experience, physiological arousal and the

No man can be certain beyond a shadow of a doubt how he will react in any given situation. One can know how he would hope to react; however, until the circumstances are in place behavior can not be entirely predicted. A person’s reaction in the direst of moments is in fact the heart of who they are. While reactions are spontaneous, actions are not and the decisions to act or not to act

Chapter 1 explains the work of a Harvard psychologist named William James. William published the article “What is an Emotion?” in a philosophical journal entitled Mind in 1884. His paper is an argument for the primacy and necessity of bodily systems in producing emotional feelings. James-Lange theory states that physiological arousal instigates the experience of emotion. A Harvard physiologist, Walter Cannon, roundly criticized James’ theory, claiming that, according to the Cannon Bard theory, physiological changes follow emotional expression.

However Zajonc ( Yiend, Mackintosh,2005 ) argued against Lazarus ( Yiend, Mackintosh,2005 ) theories and opened up a primacy debate between cognition and emotion and their precedence. Zajonc( Yiend, Mackintosh,2005) says there is no need for appraisal from cognition before emotion. Emotion can arise directly and that experience of emotion always precede cognitive processing of that emotion. He found in his mere exposure study that people tend to prefer familiar things. Whilst subjects were engaged in an other task, Zajonc ( Yiend, Mackintosh,2005 ) showed them some items subliminally - without conscious awareness. According to his findings participants had no conscious recognition of displayed items but they had a preference to them. On the bases of the results he assumed that there is no need for cognitive appraisal to have affective experience. Strangely he implied that cognitive processing must be conscious only. He did not take in account at the time that even unconscious processing is a part of cognitive processes and by comparing preference judgement with affect or emotion was also rather a brave assumption. The debate between both Lazarus and Zajonc came to

me, emotions can be just as intelligent as your I.Q. In this book report I hope to provide

For many people, they live their lives based on emotions. Emotions of happiness, love, success, and many more, could possibly be the most satisfying feelings. Except we commonly experience unpleasant emotions. There are emotions of anger, hatred, sadness, and disgrace. A very important question in the understanding of the human mind and highly related to cognitive science, is how do these emotions affect human cognition and the impact on our abilities to be rational? To tackle this question, we need to understand what emotions are, but not solely in the manner we are all familiar with, we need to understand them from a cognitive nature involving our physiology, psychology, and environment. Cognition, according to the Oxford definition