Emotion, Feeling And Cognition

For a long time, the problem of the relationship between the emotion, feeling and cognition has been philosophers, scientists and psychologists research theme. From ancient Greece, Middle Ages to modern times, Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Spinoza and James all put forward their ideas about the relationship between the emotion, feeling and cognition, In the1980s, Zajonc and Lazarus debated on the point "affection and cognition who is the first" for six years. As the world’s recognized leader in the field of neurosciences, Antonio Damasio use his creative scientific exploration, and the experience gained by contacting with the patients with nerve disease, make us realize the neurobiological basis of the emotion and feeling, which has always been considered so intimate that science can’t explain. So far, his most influential contribution is the demonstration that emotion plays an important role in a high level of cognition, which is completely different from the traditional views of philosophy, neuroscience and psychology of the20th century.This paper intends to use the methods of cognitive history analysis and literature analysis, as well as the cutting-edge research findings of cognitive philosophy, psychology,neurobiology, brain science and artificial intelligence, analyses the relationship between the emotion, feeling and cognition from theoretical and empirical analysis. This paper mainly consists of three parts:the first chapter analyzes the historical points of psychology and philosophy about the relationship between the emotion, feeling and cognition:Plato " Triple division of the soul", Aristotle " Feeling activities and Rational knowledge of the soul", Thomas Aquinas " Feeling epistemology", Descartes and Spinoza’s emotional cognitive views, James "Peripheral physiological theory", Zajonc "Emotion is independent of cognition", Lazarus " The cognitive activities are the necessary and sufficient condition of emotions". The second chapter analyzes Damasio’s cognitive views of emotion and feeling. First, he illuminates emotion is ahead of feeling from the perspective of evolution. Then he demostrates that the absence of emotion and feeling will affect the normal reasoning and deciding in a personal and social space, and emotion and feeling play an important role in the process of construction of self from theoretical and empirical analysis. The third chapter expounds the important significance of Damasio’s cognitive views of emotion and feeling in the study of philosophy: provides the scientific basis for body and mind monism, criticizes the Descartes theory of the dwarf, conduces to the human body and mental health and social progress.