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SUMMARY:Not for me: on the external function of guilt - Shaun Nichols (Cor
 nell University)
DTSTART:20230517T120000Z
DTEND:20230517T133000Z
UID:TALK200545@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Jacob Stegenga
DESCRIPTION:The standard way of thinking about emotions in cognitive scien
 ce starts with their function. The function of the fear program\, for inst
 ance\, is to help the individual evade imminent dangers. This functionalis
 t proposal illuminates the character of the fear program\, e.g.\, the kind
 s of things that elicit fear\, and the kinds of responses that fear produc
 es. The functionalist approach has been extremely productive\, but it face
 s a puzzle with the emotion of guilt\, for it's unclear what function the 
 guilt program serves for the individual. As Deem & Ramsey put it: 'It seem
 s that it is good for you that _others_ are guilt-prone...\, it is less cl
 ear that being guilt-prone is good for the individuals themselves' (2016\,
  571). Extant functionalist attempts to solve this puzzle (e.g.\, Frank 19
 88) have important shortcomings. To resolve the puzzle\, we argue that the
  functional approach has been overly restrictive. Some cognitive systems n
 eed to be understood in terms of the functions those systems serve\, not f
 or the individual himself\, but for others. That is\, some cognitive syste
 ms have functions that are _external_ to the individual. Just as the funct
 ion of an artifact needs to be understood in terms of the interests of the
  artisan\, so too the function of some cognitive systems needs to be under
 stood in terms of the interests of those (e.g.\, parents\, partners\, or t
 eachers) who crafted or shaped the cognitive system. This provides an alte
 rnative way of thinking about the function of the guilt program. On the ex
 ternal approach\, we need to consider the function of guilt from the persp
 ective of those who installed or edited the guilt program in the individua
 l. From that perspective\, it's plausible that a primary function of the g
 uilt program is precisely to protect the individual(s) who stand to be har
 med by the agent's action.
LOCATION:Seminar Room 2\, Department of History and Philosophy of Science
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