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"A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their own prejudices." William James

Philosophers are often accused of ignoring emotion or being unconcerned with emotion which is patently untrue. All throughout the history of philosophy there have been philosophers who have written about emotions in an effort to understand, and in some cases, control them. Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, Epicurus, Descartes, Hume, Sartre are just a few who have inquired into the nature of emotions. In ethics there is a theory which claims that moral statements are nothing but the expressions of one's emotions.

But, the point of this essay is not to defend the philosophical investigation of emotions. Instead, I would like to encourage a distinction between thinking and emotion in one limited sense. While philosophers investigate many questions, in their formulation of theories they are usually attempting to tell us what they think about a subject not how they feel. There is a good reason for this which I would advocate when you write about philosophy or any other academic subject. As you write an academic paper bear in mind that in most cases the assignment is to formulate your thoughts and defend them. It is not to tell your professor how you feel. It is certainly not to tell your professor how others feel.

This may seem like a purely semantic point. Perhaps when you use the word feel you're really meaning to state what you think. But, words do have meanings and it is important to recognize important distinctions, such as the distinction between thinking and feeling. The most important difference between the two words and the sentiments behind them is that one requires justification and the other does not. When I tell someone what I think it is fair for them to ask me why I think this. What evidence am I presenting to back up my opinion? Is the evidence persuasive and complete or is it inadequate to verify the claim I am making? This is not the case with feelings. If I tell someone I feel hot I do not have to justify this feeling. In fact, it would seem strange for someone to demand of me any justification for this or any other feeling. My feelings are what they are. And as many psychologists will tell you, they are neither good nor bad and neither true nor false.

The problem with referring to feelings in philosophy in the way I am criticizing is twofold. First, it is likely inaccurate. When you say something like "Plato felt that there was a realm of

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