125 years ago, William James and Carl Lange proposed that emotions are nothing more than perceptions of changes in the body. This conjecture has been challenged in numerous ways. For example, it has been changed with physiological implausibility, and it is said to crossly underestimate the cognitive contributions to emotions, especially social emotions and emotions that are culturally informed. Felt bodily changes are said to be neither necessary nor sufficient for having an emotional response. In recent decades there has been a return to James/Lange view, however, on the basis of behavioral and neuroscientific evidence. The presentation presents an updated version of the James/Lange view and addresses some pressing objections.

Jesse Prinz is a Distinguished Professor at the City University of New York. His work focuses on the role of perception, emotion, and culture and their influence on human human thought and values. Publications: Beyond Human Nature (2012); Furnishing the Mind: Concepts and Their Perception Basis (2002); Gut Reactions: A Perceptual Theory of Emotion (2006), The Emotional Construction of Morals (2008); The Conscious Brain (forthcoming).

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