Perspectives on affectivity

The workshop will take place during the second half of March 2025, and is geared towards Master and PhD students, Postdocs and junior researchers.The workshop will address issues related to emotions and affectivity. Several lines of enquiry are suggested :

¤ Normativity of emotions : what are the criterion to consider emotions or other affective states like appropriate or inappropriate ? What makes an affect true or genuine, in contrast with fake or illusory affects ?

¤ Diversity of affective phenomena : given the heterogeneity of the affective realm, it is worth questioning whether all affective phenomena can respond to norms (be it epistemic, moral, esthetic, logical, etc). The question is particularly pressing for phenomena that don’t have a clear intentionality, such as moods or existential feelings, for example.

¤ Epistemic value of affects : it is generally accepted that several types of affects (in particular emotions) have an evaluative dimension, and inform us about evaluative properties of their objects. However, these properties can be perceived unduly, which gives rise to incorrect emotions, which are also sometimes unjustified. This possibility of error raises questions about the epistemic accessaffects give us to their objects, which is also to be linked with the incorporation of affects in wider processes of knowledge and rationality.

¤ Authenticity : affects can not only inform us about the world, but also about ourselves, for their are integrated in a wider structure of preferences, habits, desires and beliefs, and therefore express what we care about. However, just like there can be a dissonance between what affects indicate about the world and what the world really is, there can be a dissonance between the way our affects portray us and our « authentic selves ». In addition, affects play a part in processes of self-knowledge and self-discovery, but also in processes of self-creation, which is fundamental to lead an authentic life. For all these reasons, it is worth wondering what can an « authentic affect » be, and what is the rôle of affects in the relationship with our « authentic selves ».

¤ Affects, art, and fiction : when engaging with some pieces of art, we often undergo all sorts of affective experiences, be it emotions or other types of affective perceptions. These experiences raise numerous issues, like for example, the supposed irrationality of emotions directed towards fictional objects (discussed in the context of the « paradox of fiction »). It is also relevant to question emotions centered on esthetic properties of their objects, or other forms of affective experience that arise through our contact with art.

These lines of inquiries are provided for guidance, and proposals that don’t enter these axes but discuss matters related to the proposed theme will also be considered.

Practical informations :

¤ The meetings will take place virtually, in the mornings for the south-american timezone, and in the afternoon for the european one, in the second half of March 2025. The exact dates will be communicated at the beginning of january.

¤ Contributions will be accepted in english, spanish, french or italian, but the participant must provide elements of presentation (like for example a power point) in english to facilitate comprehension. you

¤ Please send us your proposal before the 15th of december 2024, with a title and a 300 words summary, through the following form : https://forms.gle/2p3SMmQS5jRTbuFb7

 If have any questions, you organizers : [email protected](EHESS-ENS) and/or [email protected] (UBA, IIF-SADAF-CONICET)