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The Passions: Emotions and the Meaning of Life
An abridged reprint of the Doubleday edition of 1976, with new preface and conclusion by the author.
“A mature, wise, and provocative work . . . . The main lines of argument—that the emotions are ways we constitute our lives with meaning; that they are in some important sense things we do rather than things that merely happen to us; that emotions have their own sort of rationality and logic and are subject to evaluation and criticism as such; that emotions are, in some important sense, evaluative judgments—remain an important, credible contemporary view. . . . Solomon is clear, clever, and deep (also often funny).”
—Owen Flanagan, Duke University
“A mature, wise, and provocative work . . . . The main lines of argument—that the emotions are ways we constitute our lives with meaning; that they are in some important sense things we do rather than things that merely happen to us; that emotions have their own sort of rationality and logic and are subject to evaluation and criticism as such; that emotions are, in some important sense, evaluative judgments—remain an important, credible contemporary view. . . . Solomon is clear, clever, and deep (also often funny).”
—Owen Flanagan, Duke University
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
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About the author
Robert C. Solomon
124 books172 followersRobert C. Solomon (September 14, 1942 – January 2, 2007) was a professor of continental philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin.
Early life
Solomon was born in Detroit, Michigan. His father was a lawyer, and his mother an artist. After earning a B.A. (1963) at the University of Pennsylvania, he moved to the University of Michigan to study medicine, switching to philosophy for an M.A. (1965) and Ph.D. (1967).
He held several teaching positions at such schools as Princeton University, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Pittsburgh. From 1972 until his death, except for two years at the University of California at Riverside in the mid-1980s, he taught at University of Texas at Austin, serving as Quincy Lee Centennial Professor of Philosophy and Business. He was a member of the University of Texas Academy of Distinguished Teachers. Solomon was also a member of the inaugural class of Academic Advisors at the Business Roundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics.
His interests were in 19th-century German philosophy--especially Hegel and Nietzsche--and 20th-century Continental philosophy--especially Sartre and phenomenology, as well as ethics and the philosophy of emotions. Solomon published more than 40 books on philosophy, and was also a published songwriter. He made a cameo appearance in Richard Linklater's film Waking Life (2001), where he discussed the continuing relevance of existentialism in a postmodern world. He developed a cognitivist theory of the emotions, according to which emotions, like beliefs, were susceptible to rational appraisal and revision. Solomon was particularly interested in the idea of "love," arguing against the notion that romantic love is an inherent state of being, and maintaining, instead, that it is instead a construct of Western culture, popularized and propagated in such a way that it has achieved the status of a universal in the eyes of many. Love for Solomon is not a universal, static quality, but an emotion, subject to the same vicissitudes as other emotions like anger or sadness.
Solomon received numerous teaching awards at the University of Texas at Austin, and was a frequent lecturer in the highly regarded Plan II Honors Program. Solomon was known for his lectures on Nietzsche and other Existentialist philosophers. Solomon described in one lecture a very personal experience he had while a medical student at the University of Michigan. He recounted how he stumbled as if by chance into a crowded lecture hall. He was rather unhappy in his medical studies at the time, and was perhaps seeking something different that day. He got precisely that. The professor, Frithjof Bergmann, was lecturing that day on something that Solomon had not yet been acquainted with. The professor spoke of how Nietzsche's idea asks the fundamental question: "If given the opportunity to live your life over and over again ad infinitum, forced to go through all of the pain and the grief of existence, would you be overcome with despair? Or would you fall to your knees in gratitude?"
Solomon died on January 2, 2007 at Zurich airport. His wife, philosopher Kathleen Higgins, with whom he co-authored several of his books, is Professor of Philosophy at University of Texas at Austin.
Early life
Solomon was born in Detroit, Michigan. His father was a lawyer, and his mother an artist. After earning a B.A. (1963) at the University of Pennsylvania, he moved to the University of Michigan to study medicine, switching to philosophy for an M.A. (1965) and Ph.D. (1967).
He held several teaching positions at such schools as Princeton University, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Pittsburgh. From 1972 until his death, except for two years at the University of California at Riverside in the mid-1980s, he taught at University of Texas at Austin, serving as Quincy Lee Centennial Professor of Philosophy and Business. He was a member of the University of Texas Academy of Distinguished Teachers. Solomon was also a member of the inaugural class of Academic Advisors at the Business Roundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics.
His interests were in 19th-century German philosophy--especially Hegel and Nietzsche--and 20th-century Continental philosophy--especially Sartre and phenomenology, as well as ethics and the philosophy of emotions. Solomon published more than 40 books on philosophy, and was also a published songwriter. He made a cameo appearance in Richard Linklater's film Waking Life (2001), where he discussed the continuing relevance of existentialism in a postmodern world. He developed a cognitivist theory of the emotions, according to which emotions, like beliefs, were susceptible to rational appraisal and revision. Solomon was particularly interested in the idea of "love," arguing against the notion that romantic love is an inherent state of being, and maintaining, instead, that it is instead a construct of Western culture, popularized and propagated in such a way that it has achieved the status of a universal in the eyes of many. Love for Solomon is not a universal, static quality, but an emotion, subject to the same vicissitudes as other emotions like anger or sadness.
Solomon received numerous teaching awards at the University of Texas at Austin, and was a frequent lecturer in the highly regarded Plan II Honors Program. Solomon was known for his lectures on Nietzsche and other Existentialist philosophers. Solomon described in one lecture a very personal experience he had while a medical student at the University of Michigan. He recounted how he stumbled as if by chance into a crowded lecture hall. He was rather unhappy in his medical studies at the time, and was perhaps seeking something different that day. He got precisely that. The professor, Frithjof Bergmann, was lecturing that day on something that Solomon had not yet been acquainted with. The professor spoke of how Nietzsche's idea asks the fundamental question: "If given the opportunity to live your life over and over again ad infinitum, forced to go through all of the pain and the grief of existence, would you be overcome with despair? Or would you fall to your knees in gratitude?"
Solomon died on January 2, 2007 at Zurich airport. His wife, philosopher Kathleen Higgins, with whom he co-authored several of his books, is Professor of Philosophy at University of Texas at Austin.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 9, 2020
I have the original unabridged Anchor edition from 1976. Studied this extensively in college and my copy is full of marginal notes and other markings from prior readings. Obstensively a study of human emotion (and he does great work on this topic), its true thrust is a defense of existentialism. Reading it again now in these hunkered down covid times, I laughed out loud when I came to this sentence: "Even where it is hell, the meaning of life is-other people." If I were to sum up Solomon's thesis it is: The response to it's all sound and fury signifying nothing is: if it's your sound and fury, it has meaning (to you).
October 14, 2022
a good elaboration of robert solomon's theory of emotion from his lecture series. the anti-absurdism (standing in for a kinda nihilism) stuff in the first part was kinda wack though. but probably spoke more to his time than anything.
July 16, 2008
I bought this book years ago, after having heard Solomon speak at a philosophical conference, but I hadn't gotten around to reading it until now. The book is an interesting philosophical take on what is often considered the domain of psychology.
Solomon's main argument, inherited from Jean Paul Sartre, is that an emotion is a choice that we make. I have trouble with this argument, because we often experience emotions passively. They come as they will, whether we like them or not. But the strength of Solomon's argument is that once we take responsibility for an emotion, we can the take measures to change it (or foster it), and then it really is a choice.
Solomon also argues that emotions are "constitutive judgements," that we structure the world with our emotions. For example, we populate the world with angels and demons with our loves and our hates. He argues that psychology is limited in analyzing emotions because it is concerned with what is objective (behavior and neurology), rather than with our subjective experiences (feelings and fantasies). Though I don't always agree, Solomon presents many provocative and engaging arguments.
Solomon's main argument, inherited from Jean Paul Sartre, is that an emotion is a choice that we make. I have trouble with this argument, because we often experience emotions passively. They come as they will, whether we like them or not. But the strength of Solomon's argument is that once we take responsibility for an emotion, we can the take measures to change it (or foster it), and then it really is a choice.
Solomon also argues that emotions are "constitutive judgements," that we structure the world with our emotions. For example, we populate the world with angels and demons with our loves and our hates. He argues that psychology is limited in analyzing emotions because it is concerned with what is objective (behavior and neurology), rather than with our subjective experiences (feelings and fantasies). Though I don't always agree, Solomon presents many provocative and engaging arguments.
May 16, 2007
First, Solomon does a pretty good job of surveying the [seemingly lacking] account philosophy and [to a lesser extent] Freudian psychology has made of human emotion.
Then, he's like, "Dude, the essence of emotions isn't some broiler sitting in the bottom of your psyche that you have to vent occasionally. Srsly."--quote is mine, not his. However it's a [crude, crude] summary of like 2 chapters.
Then he comes up with an interesting account of the Emotions as containing a core of "judgment", capable of producing "magical transformations of the world". In congruence to his account are similar theories from the existentialists (mainly Sartre) to which he gives a nice treatment.
Overall an interesting read, and serves well in supplement to an empiricist psychological theory. For the times when you don't feel like getting all cog-sci about your emotions...
Then, he's like, "Dude, the essence of emotions isn't some broiler sitting in the bottom of your psyche that you have to vent occasionally. Srsly."--quote is mine, not his. However it's a [crude, crude] summary of like 2 chapters.
Then he comes up with an interesting account of the Emotions as containing a core of "judgment", capable of producing "magical transformations of the world". In congruence to his account are similar theories from the existentialists (mainly Sartre) to which he gives a nice treatment.
Overall an interesting read, and serves well in supplement to an empiricist psychological theory. For the times when you don't feel like getting all cog-sci about your emotions...
July 26, 2011
Book provides the linkage between reason and emotions, which is so often absent from modern social science and business literature.
The modern world is too focused on science. It has forgotten many valuable lessons from Greek philosophy. It is to Dr Solomon's credit that he brings their valuable insights back to modern attention.
The modern world is too focused on science. It has forgotten many valuable lessons from Greek philosophy. It is to Dr Solomon's credit that he brings their valuable insights back to modern attention.
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September 26, 2011Profound guide to a wide invisible range of interior worlds and all of their historical precedents. Yes, cognition is a feeling and feeling have their own logic and other forms of intelligence beyond, before, and after logic.
September 8, 2012
The emphasis on intentionality is incredibly strong. Overall though it Is one of my favorite books, few philosophers saw the rationality of emotions in the 70s
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews