Emotion, Evolution and Rationality (Paperback)

Paperback. For thousands of years, many Western thinkers have assumed that emotions are, at best, harmless luxuries, and at worst outright obstacles to intelligent action. In the past decade, however, scientists and philosophers have begun to challenge this 'negative view of emotion'. Neuroscientists, psychologists and researchers in artificial intelligence now agree that emotions are vital to intelligent action. Evolutionary considerations have played a vital role in thisshift to a more positive view of emotion.This book brings together some of the leading thinkers about emotion from a variety of disciplines. In a series of fascinating andchallenging essays, they examine the role that evolutionary considerations can play in helping us to understand the role of emotions in rational thought and decision-making. How should we understand the evolutionary role of emotions? And can this explain the relationship between emotions and rationality? Do our emotions stop us being rational? For thousands of years, emotions have been thought of as obstacles to intelligent thought. In this book, thinkers from philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience challenge this commonly held view of emotion in a series of essays. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.…