Emotion

Emotion is at the centre of our personal and social lives. Tolove or to hate, to be frightened or grateful is not just a matterof how we feel on the inside: our emotional responses direct ourthoughts and actions, unleash our imaginations, and structure ourrelationships with others. Yet the role of emotion in human lifehas long been disputed. Is emotion reason?s friend or its foe? Fromwhere do the emotions really arise? Why do we need them at all? In this accessible and carefully argued introduction, CarolynPrice focuses on some central questions about the nature andfunction of emotion. She explores the ways in which emotioncontrasts with belief and considers how our emotional responsesrelate to our values, our likes and our needs. And she investigatessome of the different ways in which emotional responses can bejudged as fitting or misplaced, rational or irrational, authenticor inauthentic, sentimental or profound. Throughout, she develops aparticular view of emotion as a complex and diverse phenomenon,which reflects both our common evolutionary past and our differentcultural and personal histories. Engagingly written with lots of examples to illuminate ourunderstanding, this book provides the ideal introduction to thetopic for students and scholars and anyone interested in delvingfurther into the intricate web of human emotion.