Four Cubits

In this episode, Jeff and Eli conclude their conversation about the empirical study of emotions by talking about the fall of the triune model of the brain and the developments in neuroscience that brought it about. They delve into Lisa Feldman Barrett’s model of emotions and talk about its metaphysical implications.

Show Notes:

To read about Paul MacLean, the inventor of the triune theory, click/tap here.

To learn more about Gerald Edelman and his contributions to immunology and neuroscience, click/tap here.

To learn more about Lisa Feldman Barrett’s work, click/tap here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli continue their exploration of the empirical study of emotions. They track the public battle between Margaret Mead and Paul Ekman before making their way into Neuroscience where they meet Joseph Ledoux, Antonio Damasio, and finally begin a discussion of Lisa Feldman Barrett’s work.

Show Notes:

To read about the rivalry between Margaret Mead and Paul Ekman, click/tap here. 

To read Margaret Mead’s edition of Darwin’s Expression click/tap here.

To read Paul Ekman’s commentary on Darwin’s Expression click/tap here.

To read about the fMRI of the dead salmon click/tap here.

To read Joseph LeDoux’s The Emotional Brain click/tap here.

To read Antonio Damasio’s The Feeling of What Happens click/tap here.

To read Lisa Feldman Barrett’s How Emotions Are Made click/tap here.

After a short discussion about the upcoming presidential election in the United States and the new data about how Jewish Americans will be voting, Jeff and Eli dive into their next topic which is the empirical study of emotions. Starting with the foundational 19th century texts by Charles Darwin and William James, they move into the 20th century and discuss the two dominant ways of thinking about emotion and their adherents in Experimental Psychology, Anthropology, and Evolutionary Psychology.

Show Notes:

To read about Jewish Americans voting preferences in the upcoming election, click/tap here. 

To read Darwin’s book The Expressions of the Emotions in Man and Animals, click/tap here.

To read James’s essay What is An Emotion? click/tap here.

To learn about Paul Ekman’s work click/tap here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli discuss Pamela Hieronymi’s seminal essay “Articulating an Uncompromising Forgiveness.” After a brief discussion about the revolution that Hieronymi wrought in moral philosophy, they dig into the differences between seeking forgiveness and apologizing. They then explore the areas in which Jeff’s account of apologies diverge from Hieronymi’s depiction.

Show Notes:

To read Hieronymi’s essay, click/tap here. 

To read Jeff’s essay on apologies, click/tap here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli think they’re done with anger, but anger isn’t done with them. They take stock of the different positions and talk about where they each fall. Jeff describes his concept of Dialogic Anger in more detail and they end with a discussion of the Kavanaugh hearings.

Show Notes:

For Agnes Callard’s essay “The Reason To Be Angry Forever” click/tap here.

For Agnes Callard’s Boston Review Essay “On Anger” click/tap here.

To watch the film The Wave, click/tap here.

To read Lili Loofbourow’s article “Why Christine Blasey Ford Isn’t Allowed To Be Mad” click/tap here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli discuss Marshall Rosenberg’s take on anger and moralism as expressed in his system of Nonviolent Communication. They dive into the benefits and drawbacks of eliminating moralistic language from communication and consciousness and they discuss the efficacy of moral stance-taking and shame in shaping human behavior.

Show Notes:

To read Marshall Rosenberg’s book Nonviolent Communication, click/tap here.

To watch Marshall Rosenberg give a workshop, click/tap here.

To view the Naughty Jewish Guys calendar, that shamed Eli into going back to the gym,  click/tap here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli kick off a discussion on the subject of anger and resentment. They focus on two texts by the philosopher Agnes Callard and branch off into a discussion about Nietzsche, the foundations of morality, and the analytic-continental divide.

Show Notes:

For the Chomsky-Foucalt debate click/tap here.

For Agnes Callard’s video on Socrates click/tap here.

For Agnes Callard’s essay “The Reason To Be Angry Forever” click/tap here.

For Antonio Damasio’s book “Descartes’ Error” click/tap here.

For Ronald de Sousa’s book “The Rationality of Emotion” click/tap here.

For Agnes Callard’s Boston Review Essay “On Anger” click/tap here.

In their first episode back after a three and a half year hiatus, Jeff and Eli talk about the loss of Jeff’s father to the virus, the paradoxical information environment of 2020, and the various kinds of ethical responsibilities that emerge from living through a pandemic.

Show Notes:

For the New York Times’ coverage of the passing of Jeff’s father click here. 

For CNN’s coverage of the passing of Jeff’s father click here.

For NPR’s coverage of the passing of Jeff’s father click here.

For Eli’s recommended sources of reliable information about the pandemic, click here and here.

For Dr. Michael Mina’s initiative to introduce rapid, affordable testing, click here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli continue their discussion of apologies, but they broaden the scope to include apologies made by groups, institutions, and countries.

Show Notes:

To read more about the Victoria's Secret apology, click here.

To watch veterans ask forgiveness from Native Americans at Standing Rock, click here.

To read President Obama's speech at Hiroshima, click here.

To read Ari Shavit's account of the ethnic cleansing of Lydda, click here.

After a short follow-up discussion about the role that misogyny played in the U.S. presidential election, Jeff and Eli begin a discussion on the subject of apology.

Show Notes:

To read Jeff's article, click here.