For thousands of years, emotions have been thought of as obstacles to intelligent thought. This view has been challenged by both philosophers and scientists. In this book, leading thinkers from philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience challenge this commonly held view of emotion in a series of essays.

PART I - NEUROSCIENTIFIC FOUNDATIONS ; 1. William James and the modern neurobiology of emotion ; 2. Homologizing human emotions ; PART II - EMOTION, BELIEF AND APPRAISAL ; 3. Emotional behaviour and the scope of belief-desire explanation ; 4. Which emotions are basic? ; 5. Towards a 'Machiavellian' theory of emotional appraisal ; 6. Unpicking reasonable emotions ; PART III - EVOLUTION AND THE RATIONALITY OF EMOTION ; 7. Evolution, culture and the irrationality of the emotions ; 8. The role of emotions in ecological and practical rationality ; 9. The search hypothesis of emotion ; 10. Adaptive illusions: optimism, control and human rationality ; 11. Emotion versus reason as a genetic conflict ; PART IV - PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES ; 12. Conscience and conflict: Darwin, Freud and the origins of human aggression ; 13. Emotion, reason and virtue

The first book to explore the intricate relationship between emotion and rationality Do emotions hinder or help rational thought? Includes chapters from leading thinkers in neuroscience, philosophy, and psychology

The first book to explore the intricate relationship between emotion and rationality Do emotions hinder or help rational thought? Includes chapters from leading thinkers in neuroscience, philosophy, and psychology