The Emotional Mind
The Emotional Mind
In this book, Tom Cochrane develops a new control theory of the emotions and related affective states. Grounded in the basic principle of negative feedback control, his original account outlines a new fundamental kind of mental content called 'valent representation'. Upon this foundation, Cochrane constructs new models for emotions, pains and pleasures, moods, expressive behaviours, evaluative reasoning, personality traits and long-term character commitments. These various states are presented as increasingly sophisticated layers of regulative control, which together underpin the architecture of the mind as a whole. Clearly structured and containing numerous diagrams and examples to illustrate the discussion, this study draws on the latest research from fields including philosophy, psychology and neuroscience, and will appeal to readers interested in the philosophy and cognitive science of emotion.
- Proposes a new account of emotions and related affective states such as pains, pleasures, moods and character
- Draws on a wide range of contemporary research on emotions from the disciplines of philosophy, psychology and neuroscience
- Addresses larger questions of how the mind as a whole fits together
Reviews & endorsements
'The book does an impressive job of solidifying diverse and broad range topics in philosophy of emotion into one manuscript.' Dan Mills, Philosophy Quarterly
'Tom Cochrane's book forges into the philosophy of emotion on a new and powerful vehicle: the idea of valent representations. His project is ambitious. Cochrane uses valent representations to give models of affect, pleasure and pain, emotion, moods, expressive behavior, social intentionality, norms, collective effervescence, inner speech, sentiments, personality, and character. Philosophers interested in any of these topics will find it a rich book, full of nuance and insight.' Colin Klein, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
'Cochrane's wide-ranging book makes valuable contributions to a wide variety of topics … [His] intricate, sensitive discussions of particular emotional phenomena combined with his broad survey of the contemporary literature make it valuable for anyone with an interest in the affective mind.' Ethics
Product details
May 2019Hardback
9781108429672
244 pages
235 × 158 × 17 mm
0.47kg
20 b/w illus. 3 tables
Available
Table of Contents
- 1. Valent representation
- 2. Affect
- 3. Emotions
- 4. Bodily feelings
- 5. Expression
- 6. Conscious thought
- 7. Personality and character
- 8. Control
- Appendix: emotion dimensions
- Glossary
- Bibliography.
