Making Sense of Feeling An Interdisciplinary Exploration of William James' Theory of Emotion

Date of Award

2011

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Graham, Steven

Keywords

William James, Antonio Damasio, mind-body problem, subject-object problem, feeling, emotion, conciousness, phenomenology, nueroscience, psychology, A.D. Craig, Jaak Pannsepp

Area of Concentration

General Studies

Abstract

First published in 1884, William James� theory of emotion identifies emotional feelings with the body�s perception of its own living in the world. Though James� theory stands as a well-known landmark in the study of emotion, it is often taken out of the larger context of his attentive investigations of subjective experience. This thesis integrates James� writings on the topics of the body, consciousness, and value to propose a vision of the mind that is thoroughly affective, embodied, and organic, dynamically relating to a world of lived-through meanings as a unified whole. This understanding finds strong convergent support from current research in neuroscience, cognitive science, and neuroethology. James� hypothesis, in addition to enjoying empirical validation, also undermines dualistic notions of the relationship between mind and body, subject and object, and self and world. In exploring the implications of James� singular insights into the phenomenon of bodily feeling, the contemporary relevance of his philosophical and psychological project- as well as the vital primacy of felt life- are affirmed.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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