Frédérique de Vignemont (Institut Jean-Nicod, ENS–PSL): 'The world of a happy man is a different one from that of the unhappy man'
Abstract: Here I shall explore the world of a man in danger. Nervousness, trepidation, anxiety, dread, desperation, panic, horror, terror, there are many ways to describe the emotional turmoil that accompanies the sense of danger. However, what is often neglected is that visual experiences themselves can become affectively charged. Here I will develop a notion of minimal affective engagement that is more rudimentary than full-blown emotional episodes and that can be intrinsic to perceptual experiences. I will further argue that if we sometimes close our eyes or look away when facing something bad, it is for the same reason as when we take painkillers, namely, to suppress the unpleasant experience.
Jowett Society Organising Committee: Joshua Loo, Zachary Lang, Xavier Morales Zayas and Sepehr Razavi | Jowett Society Website
