Abstract
In this essay I take what I think of as a Wittgensteinian look at emotions. I do not mean by this that I am going to explain Wittgenstein's view of emotions. His primary claims are negative; emotions are neither states nor processes. Nevertheless, keeping in mind his negative claims, along with the reasons and illustrations he gives in support of them, I hope to say something positive and interesting about emotions. My project is also Wittgensteinian in the sense that I take seriously his claim that philosophers should focus on descriptions, rather than on explanations. I am not sure that philosophy can offer no useful explanations, but I am sure that philosophers should do more describing than they usually do before attempting their explanations. In keeping with this perspective, I will begin by looking at a situation in which a person gets angry, and consider what we might say about the sorts of descriptions that are appropriate in that situation.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have