Philosophy is like sex: sure you can get some interesting results, but that's not why we do it. Going one step beyond…why do you FEEL pain or pleasure? Do plants have emotions? How is possible that some people do not understand other’s emotions? Emotions seem to be everywhere, giving meaning to all events of our lives. They are the backbone of social activities as well as they drive the cognitive processes of several living entities. Several animals, including humans, have emotions but…what about machines?...Do machine can have emotions?
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Emotions: a Philosophical Introduction
![Jordi Vallverdú](https://d3njjcbhbojbot.cloudfront.net/api/utilities/v1/imageproxy/https://coursera-instructor-photos.s3.amazonaws.com/91/d17350d97611e6a0bee5b62e3fe516/IMG-20160828-WA0038.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=1&w=75&h=75&fit=crop)
Instructor: Jordi Vallverdú
Sponsored by RIA PAYMENT INSTITUTION
52,905 already enrolled
(515 reviews)
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There are 7 modules in this course
Welcome to this amazing course on the nature of emotions. You’ll see that emotions are everywhere. They are the true meaning of our lives and guide us all throughout our daily actions. There is a lot to discuss, to think about, to discover about them! Six modules for a Course, one Course for new Knowledge!
What's included
1 video8 readings
At the very beginning of this course we will look at the basic definitions and concepts related to the emotional events. At the same time we will introduce basic philosophical ideas in order to make possible the understanding of the nature of emotional values.
What's included
5 videos1 reading2 assignments
After the clarification about the different aspects we can find in emotional analysis, we will look at the number and type of different emotions. There are several theories about their number, and all of them also contain a way to understand how emotions emerged and evolved. The debate will be fun!
What's included
5 videos1 reading2 assignments
Not only humans do have emotions. Other mammals have also them. And even insects. But do plants have emotions? Even bacteria, a so small entity, have also these emotional mechanisms. An evolutionary reconstruction will understand to understand how emotions are spread among living entities.
What's included
5 videos1 reading2 assignments
Emotions regulate several key aspects of our life. But they are fundamental for social cohesion. Cooperation or altruism are fundamental aspects of human socialization that must be understood from an emotional perspective. Neurons will show the path to the creation of societies.
What's included
5 videos1 reading2 assignments
There are plenty of historical debates on the nature and role of emotions into philosophical spaces. Usually, this approach is made studying at Western thinkers, but we will also include Eastern ones. Therefore, we will analyse how most important philosophical traditions have understood and explain the role of emotions. [Spoiler: they always said they were BAD!].
What's included
5 videos1 reading2 assignments
At the end of this course we will look on how emotions are displayed into new technological frameworks: social networks, mass media,…but we will think about how emotions are implemented into robots or computers. A new technological era come to us, with the same necessities of all previous ones: emotional. Machines will be emotional, if we want they be really smart, autonomous, and efficient.
What's included
5 videos1 reading3 assignments
Instructor
![Jordi Vallverdú](https://d3njjcbhbojbot.cloudfront.net/api/utilities/v1/imageproxy/https://coursera-instructor-photos.s3.amazonaws.com/91/d17350d97611e6a0bee5b62e3fe516/IMG-20160828-WA0038.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=1&w=75&h=75&fit=crop)
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Reviewed on Aug 11, 2020
This course has given me different dimension of thinking about human behavior.. Thank you!!
Reviewed on Jun 11, 2020
Great Material! Excellent presentation! Very good use of Coursera technology including Avatars and great summaries in End Remarks on the videos. Highly recommend Bob
Reviewed on Jan 11, 2020
Jordi did a great job making such a daunting subject fun and interesting!
Recommended if you're interested in Arts and Humanities
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