An Eidetic Phenomenology of Emotions: Notes on the Chiasmatic Character of the Emotional Dimension of Existence

Abstract

This article critically examines Paul Ricœur’s eidetic phenomenology of emotions. With reference to his early phenomenological analysis of the will, developed in his work entitled Freedom and Nature: The Voluntary and the Involuntary (1950/1960), emotions will be understood as involuntary aspects involved in the essential structures of willing. My analysis will be divided into two parts. First, I will discuss Ricœur’s conception of emotions as tied to his sustained attention to the theme of embodiment as entailing activity (e.g., wanting, moving, doing) and resistance (internal and external). In particular, emotions will be considered in relation to Ricœur's first two moments of willing: decision and voluntary movement. I will show that emotions are linked to needs, motives, and values, conceived as the body’s involuntary dimensions correlated to decision, and I will explain their role as organs for effective action. In this context, I will stress the connection between emotions and imagination based on embodiment, as well as Ricœur’s rejection of the opposition between emotionality and rationality. Then, the second part will focus on Ricœur’s distinction between feelings and emotions and on his careful analysis of the difference between emotions and passions. These reflections will lead to Ricœur’s study of wonder as the most basic emotional attitude. Ricœur’s phenomenology of emotions offers rich insights for any philosophical reflection on the ubiquitous nature of emotions and emotional experiences.