In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Richard Firth-Godbehere about the history of human emotions. They provide a definition of emotion and how it is different from affect and feelings. They explain emotional regimes, communities, and scripts. They talk about how the Greeks understood emotions and some of the differences between positive and negative emotions. They discuss the system of desire developed by the Hindus in India and the distinction between desire and disgust. They also talk about Paul and the stoics, Mohammad and the emotion of fear, and how abomination fits with disgust. They mention the witch trials and the role of dogma and misogyny. They discuss the role of shame in various cultures, anger in some African cultures, and some of the modern-day theories of emotion.
Richard Firth-Godbehere is an Honorary Research Fellow at the Centre for the History of Emotions, Queen Mary University of London. He has his MPhil from the University of Cambridge and his PhD from Queen Mary, University of London. He is a leading researcher on emotions, specifically disgust and desire. His latest book, A Human History of Emotions: How the way we feel built the world we know, can be purchased here. You can follow his work here. Twitter: @drrichfg