We use methods and theories from philosophy to help explore questions about the nature and role of emotions in everyday life. Our work is interdisciplinary; informed by cognitive science, social psychology, and political science, and has five primary directions.

One direction is concerned with examining the nature and role of emotions. The second is thinking about how people use emotions as oppressive and liberatory tools. The third is concerned with theorizing affective concepts to illuminate hidden phenomena and then examining how such theorizing can help solve real-world problems. The fourth direction is concerned with creating models of emotion regulation and emotional intelligence that are sensitive to race, gender, and class. The Fifth direction engages the philosophical contributions of non-western traditions (e.g., African American, Latinx, Indigenous, Eastern, and so-forth) to see what insights they offer to help us understand our emotional lives more deeply.

Lines of Inquiry

What are emotions?

What are their ethical and political significance?

What are their limitations?

How does society affect what and how we feel?

What are models of emotion regulation and emotional intelligence that are context sensitive and morally effective?

In what ways do non-canonical texts contribute to our thinking about emotions?

Ways We Fulfill the Mission?
Through collaborative learning, research, and public engagement.