Derek Mazzone

Thought and Feeling Derek Mazzone

Thought and feeling are paradigm examples of cognitive and non-cognitive mental states. The latter is a negative definition of what would be better described as phenomenal states, like emotion and passion, which have properties such as affect or qualia. These phenomenal states can, however, be more precisely defined as being constituted by the experience itself and not by any mental object, which they may or may not involve. On the other hand, cognitive states like thought, reason, perception and remembering necessarily involve mental objects, and can be defined by that relation. These two kinds of mental state are seminal to an understanding of mind in general, which in turn influences our understanding of mental states. For this reason, our discussion in this work begins with an examination of mind, which in analytic philosophy takes place principally within the context of the mind-body identity debate. The notions of cognitive and non-cognitive mental states also give rise to different cognitivist and non-cognitivist positions within the contexts of ethics, theory of action, and meaning or purpose which incidentally provide further definition of these states. It is a question of some import whether theoretical issues, or questions of life, can be resolved in terms of thought, feeling, or in some combination of the two. Derek Mazzone studied philosophy at Oxford, Bradford and Singapore universities, originally trained as a toolmaker, hitch-hiked to India, and now lives in Singapore, writing, lecturing and working as a yacht charter skipper. Both his travels and his skills in mechanical engineering are reflected in his practical and straightforward approach which, nevertheless, does not evade philosophical theory.