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Chapter 4 - Emotions and Value

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 August 2021

Jim Baxter
Affiliation:
University of Leeds
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Summary

In this chapter, I begin to develop an account of why psychopaths are unable to see other people as sources of value, a claim that is necessary for the central argument of the book as developed in Chapter 3. Having described psychopathy as a condition characterised primarily by emotional deficiencies, I look to the emotions for evidence of why psychopaths are as they are. I consider the three main philosophical theories of the emotions – cognitivist, ‘feeling’ and perceptualist theories – before settling on a hybrid account, according to which emotions are complexes of thought and feeling. Based on this, I interrogate the relationship between emotions and value, suggesting that emotions play a role in our ability to ascribe value to things in the world. I then trace the implications of these conclusions for the ability of psychopaths, given their emotional deficiencies, to engage evaluatively with the world.

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Chapter
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Moral Responsibility and the Psychopath
The Value of Others
, pp. 98 - 131
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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  • Emotions and Value
  • Jim Baxter, University of Leeds
  • Book: Moral Responsibility and the Psychopath
  • Online publication: 27 August 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009025355.005
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  • Emotions and Value
  • Jim Baxter, University of Leeds
  • Book: Moral Responsibility and the Psychopath
  • Online publication: 27 August 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009025355.005
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Emotions and Value
  • Jim Baxter, University of Leeds
  • Book: Moral Responsibility and the Psychopath
  • Online publication: 27 August 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009025355.005
Available formats
×