Emotional Depth, Ambivalence, and Affective Propulsion

Journal of Philosophy of Emotion 3 (2):35-43 (2022)
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Abstract

Unpleasant emotions can be strongly “propulsive,” spurring us to make changes to our situation, perspective, values, and commitments. These changes are often positive, even crucial to our pursuit of the good life. But under what conditions are unpleasant emotions strongly propulsive? I argue that the source of affective propulsion should not be located in the mere unpleasantness of a given emotion, but, rather, in the emotional context in which the emotion arises. Drawing on Martin Heidegger’s comparative analysis of “shallow” and “deep” boredom, I claim that the propulsive quality of an emotion arises not from its intrinsic properties but from the ambivalence generated when two affective states simultaneously influence our sense-making activity in opposing ways.

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Francisco Gallegos
Wake Forest University

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References found in this work

Living a feminist life.Sara Ahmed - 2017 - Durham: Duke University Press.
Depression, Guilt and Emotional Depth.Matthew Ratcliffe - 2010 - Inquiry: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy 53 (6):602-626.
The Bright Side of Boredom.Andreas Elpidorou - 2014 - Frontiers in Psychology 5.
The ontology and temporality of conscience.Rebecca Kukla - 2002 - Continental Philosophy Review 35 (1):1-34.

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