CFP: Phenomenology of Emotions

Submission deadline: January 4, 2017

Conference date(s):
April 24, 2017 - April 28, 2017

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Conference Venue:

Phenomenologies Research Group, University of Liège
Liège, Belgium

Topic areas

Details

The conference aims at investigating the way phenomenological insights may contribute to contemporary debates on the nature of emotions. “Phenomenology” will be understood from both a historical and contemporary perspective. One question we wish to address is whether the return to the phenomenological tradition may provide relevant materials when it comes to escape the difficulties raised by cognitive and physiological theories. Yet, special attention will also be devoted to the question as to whether there is an affective phenomenology per se, that is, whether emotional experiences are or not irreducible to cognitive and/or conative experiences.

A number of slots are reserved for contributed papers. We welcome papers addressing (but not limited to) the following topics:

1.    The intentionality of emotional experiences

Do emotions represent something beyond themselves? If so, are all emotions intentional or should one distinguish between intentional and non-intentional emotions? How are emotions involved into one’s so-called openness to the world? How do they bear on the capacity one has to be intentionally directed at something? How do they relate to paradigmatic intentional states like beliefs and desires? Are intentionality and affectivity separated features of the mental or are they best thought of as tightly intertwined?

2.    Methodological problems related to the description of emotional experiences

What’s the best way to describe one’s emotional experiences? What are the roles and functions of pre-reflective self-consciousness and introspection in the attempt to understand one’s affective life? How does one communicate about one’s own emotions? Is it possible to go beyond cultural differences in order to share what is experienced in an emotional experience?

3.    The normative dimension of emotional experiences

What is the role of appraisal and valuation in emotional experiences? Does the ascribing of values to something depend on one’s emotional experiences? How can a full-blown theory of emotions contribute to illuminate ethical and/or esthetical issues?

4.    The bodily dimension of emotional experiences

Can we think of an emotional experience without any bodily manifestation? What is the part played by bodily sensations in emotional experiences? How can a phenomenological account of emotions accommodate their bodily dimension? Conversely, how could theories of the extended mind contribute to shed light on emotional phenomena?

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