Dialogue

Table of Contents - 1986 - Volume 25, Issue 04  

Articles

Emotions: Rationality Without Cognitivism

Stanley G. Clarkea1

a1 Carleton University

In the aftermath of emotivism and behaviourism, cognitivist theories of emotion became current in both philosophy and psychology. These theories, though varied, have in common that emotions require propositional attitudes such as beliefs or evaluations. Accordingly, cognitivist theories characterize emotions themselves with features of such attitudes, including syntax, semantic meaning, and justifiability.