What do our emotions actually tell us about the world?
In this episode, we explore emotions from a philosophical perspective—and why they matter for knowledge. Emotions are rapid evaluations of events around us, shaping what we notice, what we care about, and how we respond. They reveal what is important to us and offer a form of evaluative knowledge about the world and ourselves.
But emotions are not infallible. As our first responses, they can mislead; they need to be checked against reflection and other forms of feedback. By examining how emotions connect to perception, judgment, and attention, we ask: what can emotions really reveal about our reality—and how do they shape the way we understand it?
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This episode was produced by Jason Means and edited by Anni Räty.
Music by Tuomo Tiisala and Gregor Greslehner.
Special thanks to Matt Dougherty, Cathy Mason, and Juliette Vazard.
Please note: At the time of recording, Juliette Vazard was a Postdoctoral Researcher at Central European University. She is currently a Senior Teaching and Research Assistant at University of Zürich.
Questions or comments? Write to [email protected].