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Comment on What is an emotion? William James’s theory of how our bodies affect our feelingsparent

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Because if you’re not paying really, really good attention to what’s going on, it doesn’t really feel like that’s what’s happening. At least for most people!

They would describe, “anger makes my skin hot” not “my skin getting hot makes me experience anger.”

That's a good answer, but it doesn't take much questioning for it to break down. What is this "anger" other than its collection of symptoms? If you strip away all of its properties and effects, then what's left for it to be? It becomes rather ghostly then.

Well that’s exactly James’ point. We’re both sitting 150 years downstream of his major philosophical breakthroughs so it’s a bit hard to ask “what’s all the fuss.”

Seinfeld effect going on here :)

My point is it's so trvially obvious that you don't need to hear about it from anyone else.

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