The Rationality of Emotion

Ronald de Sousa teaches philosophy at the University of Toronto.

In this urbane and witty book, Ronald de Sousa disputes the widespread notion that reason and emotion are natural antagonists.

"De Sousa builds his case in a highly informed and readable way. He is in complete control of the literature on the emotions (historical, philosophical, physiological, and psychological). He also manages to bring in an extraordinary range of references from surprising places - Erica Jong, Andre Gide, Dorothy Dinnerstein. This sort of humane ease and wide-ranging vision makes for fun and often funny reading, but always, happily, in the service of the main argument. One of the virtues of de Sousa's book is that it offers an analysis of the emotions that will be congenial to many philosophers working in the cognitivist tradition." Owen Flanagan , Wellesley College "De Sousa demolishes just about all the reasons there could be for thinking that there is anything intrinsically irrational or anti-rational about any interestingly wide class of emotions, and makes a good case for the claim that we are capable of rationality - thought, reasoned decision and social coordination - largely because we are the creatures with the emotions we have. This is an interesting and important claim." Times Higher Education Supplement "One of the virtues of de Sousa's book is that it offers an analysis of the emotions that will be congenial to many philosophers working in the cognitivist tradition." Owen Flanagan , Wellesley College,