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The Passions: Philosophy and the Intelligence of Emotions

By: Robert C. Solomon, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Robert C. Solomon
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Publisher's Summary

Conventional wisdom suggests there is a sharp distinction between emotion and reason. Emotions are seen as inferior, disruptive, primitive, and even bestial forces. These 24 remarkable lectures suggest otherwise-that emotions have intelligence and provide personal strategies that are vitally important to our everyday lives of perceiving, evaluating, appraising, understanding, and acting in the world.

Take a tour of Professor Solomon's more than three-decade-long intellectual struggle to reach an understanding of emotions, which he argues are, "the key to the meaning of life." A distinguished philosopher himself, Professor Solomon's lectures unfold as a rich dialogue with other philosophers, including Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Adam Smith, Nietzsche, William James, Freud, Heidegger, and Sartre.

In your exploration, you'll address such questions as: how do we distinguish emotions from feelings, such as heartache? What is the meaning of our emotions, and how do they serve to enrich and guide our lives? Are there a determinable number of basic emotions that serve as building blocks for the range of emotions we experience? Is an emotion such as jealousy a genetic trait shared by all humans - or is it something learned? As you listen to these lectures, prepare to think: Think about your own emotions; think about what you observe in others; think about the enormous body of research and conjecture on this fascinating topic as Professor Solomon takes you on a challenging and stimulating journey. The more we puzzle over the nature of emotions, the deeper the mystery becomes. It is a mystery that is by no means solved, but one that repays in careful, philosophical analysis.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2006 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2006 The Great Courses

What listeners say about The Passions: Philosophy and the Intelligence of Emotions

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Easy to listen, alive lectures!

Outstanding overview of history and (kind of) evolution.. of human awareness of emotional intelligence. Author emphasizes to all emotions personally, and takes perspectives of philosophy, religion, science and social norms. I'm grateful for great lectures, amazing!

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really good

a great series of lectures on a very interesting topic with significant implications for how we view ourselves and others

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A worthy philosophical walk through our emotions

I enjoyed this well told story of our emotions and balanced view of the contributions of so many people over the years. It does not seek to explain the more recent understanding we have of the neurological or chemical side of emotions - but it doesn’t pretend to. Enjoyed it.

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A great introduction to the philosophical facets of our emotions, their meaning and their significance

A great summary of current philosophical thought on a number of emotions and a comprehensive discussion on their role in our lives. The book is well set out, easy to read (listen to) and the ideas are expressed clearly and concisely. This was the first book I’ve read that discusses emotions through a predominantly philosophical lens, in contrast to a purely scientific one, which I found fascinating and insightful.

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Good start, needs more thought put in

I disagreed with the basic tenents of analysis here. Still a good starting point. A better distinction between the physiological response and the perceptions on emotions would give a higher definition of the complexity of emotions.

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bit of a hack

He has some interesting philosophical ideas but lacks a contemporary understanding of empirically evidenced psychology to make his assertions credible.

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