Stephen Downes

This is a surprisingly rich discussion on the nature of emotions and how we describe them, especially for those who read the contributions from experts and the links they provide. Nicole Rust summarizes, "An emotion has three components: physiological changes (such as a galvanic skin response or pupil dilation), a behavioral response (such as a facial expression or running away) and a feeling based on cognitive appraisal of the situation and interpretation of body states." Similarly, "The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy offers a helpful tripartite scheme: emotions as feelings or qualia, emotions as evaluations or appraisals, and emotions as motivated states or causes of behavior," says Darius Valevicius. But these just scratch at the surface, and debates continue about (for example) whether emotions are felt or constructed.