AUC Philosophica et Historica (Acta Universitatis Carolinae Philosophica et Historica) is a multidisciplinary academic journal focused on the humanities with more than 50 years of tradition.
The journal is indexed in CEEOL, DOAJ, and EBSCO.
AUC PHILOSOPHICA ET HISTORICA, Vol 2014 No 1 (2014), 11–19
Emotions, Persons, and the Body: William James and Jan Patočka
Heleen J. Pott
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14712/24647055.2015.2
published online: 20. 01. 2015
abstract
In this essay, I argue that there are striking parallels between the later work of the American pragmatist William James and the philosophy of Jan Patočka. Taking the naturalistic approach of existential moods in James as my point of departure, I show how both James and Patočka consider the dynamics of the feeling body to be the key to human selfunderstanding. They both see emotion as a paradigmatic form of embodied consciousness. What has remained an implicit and intuitive view in James gains a pronounced philosophical articulation in Patočka.
keywords: Jan Patočka; William James; emotion; body; individuality
periodicity: 2 x per year
ISSN: 0567-8293
E-ISSN: 2464-7055
