Abstract
‘The evolution of emotion’ argues that emotions were—and still are—vital for survival. Ever since Plato, many Western thinkers have tended to view emotions as obstacles to intelligent action. We are all familiar with cases in which an excess of emotion prevents people from acting intelligently. The opposite idea—the positive view of emotion—is that emotions are vital for intelligent action. Until recently, this idea had not been popular among philosophers and psychologists, but considerations drawn from evolutionary theory and neuroscience now argue in its favour. The evolution of emotions such as fear, anger, joy, disgust, guilt, love, and revenge are considered along with the relationship between emotions and morality.
