Emoción y cognición. James, más de cien años después

Abstract

In this paper we present a brief exposition of the main theories regarding emotions -their nature and role in human behaviour- which have appeared since the beginning of the century. We suggest that our knowledge of the emotions has progressed little because of deep epistemological mistakes, such as the central role attributed to cognition in the explanation of phenomena. Cognitive theories stem from the concept of intentionality proposed by philosophers such as Brentano, Stumpf and Husserl, which cannot be applied to all expressions of emotion. Finally, we suggest some solutionsfrom un unti-Cartesian perspective, against the dualism of mind and body, inspired by the works of Vygotsky and Wittgenstein.