Reddit reviews Upheavals of Thought: The Intelligence of Emotions
We found 5 Reddit comments about Upheavals of Thought: The Intelligence of Emotions. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Used Book in Good Condition
>, why do people assume that simply because you can't prove something that it must not exist?
I don't know anyone who assumes that.
> I suppose a broader question is: is emotion a kind of knowledge?
I don't know if emotion is a kind of knowledge, but knowledge of your emotions (which is what you were talking about in your post) is a kind of self-knowledge.
These might be relevant readings:
http://www.amazon.com/Upheavals-Thought-The-Intelligence-Emotions/dp/0521531829
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/self-knowledge/
Surprised to see Martha Nussbaum not mentioned yet. Here's some of her books to give you an idea of her thought.
Upheavals of Thought: The Intelligence of Emotions
> Starting with an account of her own mother's death, she argues that emotions are intelligent appraisals of a world that we do not control, in the light of our own most significant goals and plans. She then investigates the implications of this idea for normative issues, analyzing the role of compassion in private and public reasoning and the attempts of authors both philosophical and literary to purify or reform the emotion of erotic love. Ultimately, she illuminates the structure of emotions and argues that once we understand the complex intelligence of emotions we will also have new reasons to value works of literature as sources of ethical education.
Political Emotions: Why Love Matters for Justice
> Martha Nussbaum asks: How can we sustain a decent society that aspires to justice and inspires sacrifice for the common good? Amid negative emotions endemic even to good societies, public emotions rooted in love―intense attachments outside our control―can foster commitment to shared goals and keep at bay the forces of disgust and envy.
Anger and Forgiveness: Resentment, Generosity, Justice
> Studying anger in intimate relationships, casual daily interactions, the workplace, the criminal justice system, and movements for social transformation, Nussbaum shows that anger's core ideas are both infantile and harmful.
> Is forgiveness the best way of transcending anger? Nussbaum examines different conceptions of this much-sentimentalized notion, both in the Jewish and Christian traditions and in secular morality. Some forms of forgiveness are ethically promising, she claims, but others are subtle allies of retribution: those that exact a performance of contrition and abasement as a condition of waiving angry feelings. In general, she argues, a spirit of generosity (combined, in some cases, with a reliance on impartial welfare-oriented legal institutions) is the best way to respond to injury. Applied to the personal and the political realms, Nussbaum's profoundly insightful and erudite view of anger and forgiveness puts both in a startling new light.
Hiding from Humanity: Disgust, Shame, and the Law
> Nussbaum argues that the thought-content of disgust embodies "magical ideas of contamination, and impossible aspirations to purity that are just not in line with human life as we know it." She argues that disgust should never be the basis for criminalizing an act, or play either the aggravating or the mitigating role in criminal law it currently does. She writes that we should be similarly suspicious of what she calls "primitive shame," a shame "at the very fact of human imperfection," and she is harshly critical of the role that such shame plays in certain punishments.
> Have read hundreds of books in the self help and eastern philosophy category, but these days they don't do anything for me.
It's very low quality literature.
Sounds like you would like Martha Nussbaum, she is a very well respected scholar and has written a lot on the Ancient philosophy (ethics mostly), including stoicism (somewhat critically) - in a manner that is also relevant for the person living today. I am thinking of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
> Would like to read something that was written by people who were severely depressed or overcame tragedy.
Then you should probably look at autobiographies or empirical research into depression (1, 2, the author is a clinical psychologist). Philosophy is aiming at maximally objective, reason based interpretation and argument, not interpretation of the past ethical theories based on their personal feelings.
Edit: also, I haven't read this myself, however, it crossed my mind as something that might interest you.
This is a very detailed working out of a kind of stoicism/epicureanism. I appreciate the thought you've put into this. Some books I've enjoyed on stoicism and philosophy of life:
Thought-provoking books that challenge naturalism from a secular perspective:
> Or misandry, even. Which is probably mostly what it is.
What is misandry?
> It's not the transness I'm finding offensive, really. It's mostly just the "masculinity" itself.
Actually, there's a name for this, it's called cisnormativity. Which is an extension to heteronormativity. It is an extension to the toxic, oppressive belief that men should be men, and women should be women, and men are masculine, women are feminine, and if you dare transition, you better follow the rules. The italicized part is the cisnormative extension of the heteronormativity that came first.
I hope you find a way to rid yourself of this. It's toxic to all those who hold on to it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with breaking the cisnormative and heteronormative "rules."
Sitting by my bedside is the book "Upheavels of Thought: The Intelligence of Emotions" by Martha C. Nussbaum. It's a philosophy text concerning the philosophy of emotions. This is next up in my reading list of casual interests, because I find emotions to be fascinating, and since I like Artificial Intelligence, and the problem of imbuing AI with emotions is absolutely fascinating.
There are so many women who are writers out there. We emulate those who inspire us. We absorb that which surrounds us. It's a very human thing to do.