1. SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE Or OBSTACLE TO IT?
WAYS OF KNOWING
SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE Or
OBSTACLE TO IT?

2. Emotion as a way of gaining knowledge??
How can it be a WoK when traditionally it is seen as an obstacle to knowledge
Do you think clearly when you are
“What reason weaves, by passions is undone”
(Alexander Pope )

3. The nature of emotions Emotions includes feelings, passion, moods
Emotions consist of
Internal feelings
External forms of behaviour
Varying degrees of intensity
Passion – refers to the extremes of emotion
Mood is an emotion
that continues for a period of time

4. There are 6 basic primary emotions and they are

5. Primary emotions have typical facial expressions suggestion a close link between emotions and the body
This theory suggests emotions are physical in nature
Remove the physical symptoms and the emotions disappear
Mimic the physical symptoms and the emotions will follow
James-Lange theory

6. What emotion do you think is being conveyed in the two pictures?
Why do you think you see human and animal emotion as different?
Beliefs

7. Social emotions These are in addition to primary emotions
What do you think they may include
Ambition
Contempt
Embarrassment
Jealousy
Gratitude
Indignation
Shame
Pride
Sympathy

8. Our intelligence plus our imagination allow us to plan / worry ahead of time
A change in belief may change our emotional state

9. Emotional energy
Any break-through in knowledge usually requires great persistence – generated through passion
Does that make it a way of knowing though
What qualities make a good teacher? – Why
What is the relationship between liking a subject and being good at it?
What are the pro’s and con’s of holding a belief with passion?

10. Emotions as ways of knowing
So what to do??
Are emotions an obstacle
to knowledge
Are emotions a source
of knowledge
Where does intuition fit
into all this

11. Obstacle
Emotions are integral to our mental lives and therefore influence the way we think about the world, strong emotions distort the other ways of knowing.
PERCEPTION
Emotional colouring
Is this what we mean??
Or do certain emotions BLIND us?

12. Reason Language Can negatively affect emotions – close-minded
Passionate believe in something often blinds you to the other side
Language
Powerful emotion bring on emotive and slanted language

13. In the heat of the moment THIS or THIS

14. Rationalisations

15. Biased perception: people only notice
If things get really bad rationalising causes a person to develop a self-confirming belief system – loud mouthed teenagers
Biased perception: people only notice
the loud-mouthed, noisy, rude teenagers
Fallacious reasoning: hasty
Powerful emotions: generalisations from
follow and a few observations
Emotive reasoning: conclusion is therefore
that all teenagers a rude, loud-mouthed layabout louts

16. Irrational behaviour
Emotions distort our beliefs but also lead us to make poor decisions
Many emotions are urgent and short-sighted – anger, hunger, desire!
Oscar Wilde “I can resist anything other than temptation”
Stoic’s advised – apathy, no passion
Is passion good or bad?