New Books in Philosophy

Krista K. Thomason, "Dancing with the Devil: Why Bad Feelings Make Life Good" (Oxford UP, 2023)

Jan 10, 2024

Krista K. Thomason, author of Dancing with the Devil: Why Bad Feelings Make Life Good, challenges the perception of negative emotions as 'bad', arguing that they are essential in understanding attachments and what we care about. The podcast explores the relationship between reason and emotions, questions the control we have over them, and highlights the value of experiencing and feeling them. It also delves into the connection between greed, envy, vices, and one's sense of self. The guest discusses her current research interests and briefly touches on the emotional side of Kant's work.

59:31

Episode guests

Krista K. Thomason

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Negative emotions help us discover what we care about and what matters to us.

Negative emotions are not inherently destructive to society and can be managed in a healthy way.

There exists an emotion double standard that stigmatizes negative emotions, overlooking their value in providing insights into our values and desires.

Deep dives

Negative emotions are part of our attachment to ourselves

Our negative emotions are an essential part of our attachments to ourselves. They help us discover what we care about and what matters to us. Negative emotions, such as anger and envy, play a role in how we invest in our lives and express our attachments.

Introduction

2min

Redefining Negative Emotions

14min

The Role of Negative Emotions in a Meaningful Life

4min

The Relationship Between Reason and Emotions

20min

The Relationship Between Greed and Envy

16min

Guest's Current Research Interests and the Emotional Side of Kant's Work

3min

How could a good life include one with anger, or jealousy, or spite? In Dancing with the Devil: Why Bad Feelings Make Life Good (Oxford UP, 2023), Krista Thomason flips the script on popular ways of dealing with our emotions, including neo-Stoicism, mindfulness, and even the prosperity gospel. She makes the case that we should get rid of the double standard we have towards "good" and "bad" emotions, and that we should not aim to be emotional saints. Instead, because "bad" emotions are an essential part of our attachments to our selves, they help us discover what we care about. Thomason, who is an associate professor of philosophy at Swarthmore College, guides the reader through philosophical traditions regarding the relation of emotion to reason and the various approaches thinkers have come up with to deal with our "bad" emotions.

Carrie Figdor is professor of philosophy at the University of Iowa.

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New Books in Philosophy

Krista K. Thomason, "Dancing with the Devil: Why Bad Feelings Make Life Good" (Oxford UP, 2023)

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Negative emotions are part of our attachment to ourselves

Negative emotions are not inherently destructive to society

The emotion double standard

Negative emotions and the sense of self

The complex nature of negative emotions

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts