One often tends to think that emotions are a subjective perception of myself and that, similarly, “to feel” is the appropriate expression of what analytical philosophy calls an “inner state”. It is my intention in the present study to look at the intentional side of the emotions. Emotions have an intentional nature in the way of intellectual apprehensions; they are also “related to” each other. This prospect can offer an objective account of emotion. Before pursuing this issue further, it will b…
Read moreOne often tends to think that emotions are a subjective perception of myself and that, similarly, “to feel” is the appropriate expression of what analytical philosophy calls an “inner state”. It is my intention in the present study to look at the intentional side of the emotions. Emotions have an intentional nature in the way of intellectual apprehensions; they are also “related to” each other. This prospect can offer an objective account of emotion. Before pursuing this issue further, it will be helpful to make a phenomenical investigation of one’s own passions. This will lead to a rejection of the Cartesian states of mind and, according to Aquinas, to the descovery of love as the highest intentional state.
