The Philosophy of Emotion Podcast

Episode 10: Andrea Scarantino on how emotions about fictional objects motivate behaviour

Ever screamed at a horror movie while knowing perfectly well that the monster isn’t real? If so, are you really afraid—or merely experiencing what philosophers have called a quasi-emotion? Andrea Scarantino (Georgia State University) joins Constant Bonard to discuss his paper “How Emotions About Fictional Objects Motivate Behavior [https://philpapers.org/rec/SCAHEA-2]”. Challenging a long-standing view inspired by Kendall Walton, Scarantino argues that our emotions toward fictional characters and events are genuine emotions with genuine motivational force. The difference, he suggests, is not that these emotions fail to motivate us, but that their motivational pull is carefully regulated. Together, they discuss quasi-emotions, motivation and regulation, why we scream but don’t flee the theater, the role of immersion, and what our engagement with fiction reveals about the nature of emotion itself. More about Andrea’s work: https://andreascarantino.pages.dev/ https://philpeople.org/profiles/andrea-scarantino [https://philpeople.org/profiles/andrea-scarantino] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecogsproject.substack.com [https://thecogsproject.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Episode 9: Christine Tappolet on the Receptive Theory of Emotions (en français)

Christine Tappolet joins Constant Bonard to discuss her Receptive Theory of emotions, a new account that seeks to explain how emotions put us in contact with values while distinguishing them from sensory perceptions. Tappolet is Professor of Philosophy at the Université de Montréal and works on emotions, ethics, and moral psychology. More about her work: https://philo.umontreal.ca/repertoire-departement/professeurs/professeur/in/in14507/sg/Christine%20Tappolet/ [https://philo.umontreal.ca/repertoire-departement/professeurs/professeur/in/in14507/sg/Christine%20Tappolet/] https://philpeople.org/profiles/christine-tappolet [https://philpeople.org/profiles/christine-tappolet] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecogsproject.substack.com [https://thecogsproject.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Episode 8: Can Emotions Drive Environmental Mitigation? with Constant Bonard

Constant Bonard joins Benjamin Matheson to discuss the role emotions play in environmental mitigation and climate action. Drawing on recent work in the affective sciences, Bonard challenges the idea that emotions themselves cause people to recognize political values and become politically motivated. Bonard is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Bern. More about his work: https://sites.google.com/view/constant-bonard https://philpeople.org/profiles/constant-bonard This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecogsproject.substack.com [https://thecogsproject.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Episode 7: Is Anger Always Hostile? With Laura Silva

Laura Silva joins Constant Bonard to discuss anger, challenging the common assumption that it is essentially a hostile emotion. Silva is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Laval University in Canada, where she works on the role of emotions in our moral and political lives. More about her work: https://www.lauraluzsilva.com https://philpeople.org/profiles/laura-silva This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecogsproject.substack.com [https://thecogsproject.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Episode 6: Julien Deonna and Fabrice Teroni on Emotions as Attitudes (en français).

Quand on a peur, on fuit. Quand on est en colère, on attaque. Mais qu’est-ce qui se passe exactement dans notre tête — ou dans notre corps — quand on ressent une émotion ? Est-ce que nos émotions nous montrent quelque chose sur le monde, comme une sorte de sixième sens moral ? Ou sont-elles plutôt des réactions, des manières de se positionner face à ce qui nous arrive ? Dans cet épisode, nous recevons Julien Deonna et Fabrice Teroni (Université de Genève) et explorons leur théorie : l’attitudinalisme. Une idée simple en apparence, mais aux conséquences profondes — qui remet en question la manière dont on pense habituellement le lien entre émotions et valeurs, entre ressentir et juger. On s’appuie pour cela sur leur article de 2022, « Emotions and Their Correctness Conditions: A Defense of Attitudinalism ». This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecogsproject.substack.com [https://thecogsproject.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]