IX - The Logic of Emotions

Summary

The issue of whether emotions are rational (or intelligent) is at the centre of philosophical and psychological discussions. I believe that emotions are rational, but that they follow different principles to those of intellectual reasoning. The purpose of this paper is to reveal the unique logic of emotions. I begin by suggesting that we should conceive of emotions as a general mode of the mental system; other modes are the perceptual and intellectual modes. One feature distinguishing one mode from another is the logical principles underlying its information processing mechanism. Before describing these principles, I clarify the notion of ‘rationality,’ arguing that in an important sense emotions can be rational.

Emotion as a general mode of the mental system

It is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss the nature of emotions, but I must mention a few aspects regarding this in order to clarify claims concerning the logic of emotions.

An emotion is not a mental state, such as hearing a noise or having a toothache; nor is it a mere disposition, as are beliefs and desires. An emotion is also not a capacity, as are sensation, perception, memory, imagination, and thought; nor is it an intentional mode of reference, as are cognition, evaluation and motivation. It is also not a mere feeling, as is a thrill.

I have suggested that an emotion is a general mental mode of the mental system. A general mental mode includes various mental elements and expresses a dynamic functioning arrangement of the mental system.