#96 - The Complicated Utility of Anger and Shame: A Dialogue with Owen Flanagan

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Owen Flanagan about emotions, specifically the emotions of anger and shame. They discuss a definition of emotion and the distinction between feelings and affect. They discuss how emotions are active and whether one can choose their emotions. They dialogue about the social constructivist model of emotions and some of the critiques. They define anger and distinguish between different types of anger. They talk about why pain-passing and payback anger should be significantly minimized and also how we see emotions cross-culturally. They discuss shame and the global self and the difference between an emotion and the expression of an emotion. They mention how shame is expressed in pop culture and what a mature sense of shame looks like. Owen Flanagan is the James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Duke University. He has his PhD from Boston University. He taught philosophy at Wellesley College before arriving at Duke. He has written many books including the most recent, How To Do Things with Emotions: The Morality of Anger and Shame Across Cultures, which can be purchased here. You can find his work at his website.  Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe