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Who Needs Courage?

February 28, 2019 Dominic Reichl

I dislike the idea of being courageous. Sure, it's a virtue and all, but what are we really saying when we speak of courage? Obviously, it means to act in spite of emotional resistance. However, although courage opposes fear, it is still defined in relation to it. Why accept the emotional conceptualization in the first place? Why not rather think in terms of tasks and volitions? "I act not because I have courage, but because I do what I want." These are not the same. What I like is the idea of … [Read more...]

Blog emotions, personal-development

How the Brain Makes Emotions

July 11, 2018 Dominic Reichl

how the brain makes emotions

Here's the latest state of the art in the cognitive science of emotion, summarized in three words: Emotions are predictions More precisely, emotions are predictions generated by the brain using an internal model informed by sensory data and past experiences. What does this mean? Let's analyze that definition word by word, starting from the end: Past experiences. All your emotions are shaped by your memories of the past, categorized by distinct emotion concepts. Some of your experiences … [Read more...]

Blog body-intelligence, embodied cognition, emotions, neuroscience, psychology, science

When Reason Needs Emotion: The Problem of Rational Foresight

July 4, 2018 Dominic Reichl

rational foresight

You are on a good path in life when you do your true will (what you truly want), leading you towards eudaimonia (long-term well-being). Your rational true will aims at a goal and listens to reason, which calculates the outcome probabilities of actions. You use reason to estimate how potential actions will affect eudaimonia, and then you choose the path of action with the most desirable consequences. This is how you make good life decisions, right? Well, not quite... The problem of rational … [Read more...]

Blog emotions, personal-development, rationality, success

Are Consequences All That Matter? (Intentions Vs. Outcomes)

June 24, 2018 Dominic Reichl

are consequences all that matter

The True Will is the chief principle of decision making. A man doing his True Will acts in a way that maximizes eudaimonia. So what matters are the outcomes of his actions, its consequences for well-being. Does this make his intentions, his state of mind, irrelevant? Imagine a man punching another man in the face in an act of self-defense that we assume maximizes eudaimonia. Does it matter whether the man threw his punches out of reactive anger and ill intent or out of mindcoolness? It … [Read more...]

Blog emotions, ethics, mindcoolness

Are Pride and Humility Good or Bad? (Affective Ethics)

January 3, 2018 Dominic Reichl

ethics pride humility

On the Ethics of Pride and Humility Definitions Pride is the pleasure you feel when you contemplate your strength, competence, or superiority. Humility is the pain you feel when you contemplate your weakness, incompetence, or inferiority. Affective Ethics According to a utilitarian reading of the above definitions, pride is inherently good (pleasurable) and humility inherently bad (painful). Yet if we look at all their potential consequences on well-being, the picture becomes more … [Read more...]

Blog emotions, ethics, mindcoolness, mindfulness, pride

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