Book contents
- Darwin’s Philosophy of Emotion
- Darwin’s Philosophy of Emotion
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Darwin’s Expression
- Chapter 2 Darwin’s Predecessors
- Chapter 3 Darwin’s Associationism
- Chapter 4 Darwin’s Emotions
- Chapter 5 Darwin’s Expressions
- Chapter 6 Darwin’s Lost Legacy
- References
- Index
Chapter 1 - Darwin’s Expression
Published online by Cambridge University Press: aN Invalid Date NaN
Book contents
- Darwin’s Philosophy of Emotion
- Darwin’s Philosophy of Emotion
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Darwin’s Expression
- Chapter 2 Darwin’s Predecessors
- Chapter 3 Darwin’s Associationism
- Chapter 4 Darwin’s Emotions
- Chapter 5 Darwin’s Expressions
- Chapter 6 Darwin’s Lost Legacy
- References
- Index
Summary
This chapter introduces the central ideas in Darwin’s Expression, poses the main interpretive questions that scholars have raised, and outlines my answers to those questions. Why does Darwin analyze expressions in terms of heritable habits, recalling Lamarck’s debunked theory of evolution, when his own theory of natural selection provides a superior alternative? My answer is that Darwin embraces Hartley’s associationist theory of mind, which posits habit as the basis of thought. I claim that multiple puzzling features of Expression are resolved once we view Darwin as an associationist philosopher.
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- Darwin's Philosophy of Emotion , pp. 3 - 33Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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