To address ethical questions about the nature of morality and the meaning of life, we need to go
beyond the cognitive processes described in Chapters 2–4 to consider how the brain accomplishes
emotional feelings and makes decisions. Chapter 5 defends a theory of emotional consciousness that
serves two purposes. First, it fulfills a promise in Chapter 3 to show how it is possible to give a
naturalistic explanation of consciousness. Second, it provides the basis for the attempts in Chapters
6–8 to describe the neural basis for meaningful decisions and moral judgments. I will argue that our
emotional feelings are the result of parallel brain processes that involve simultaneous cognitive
appraisal of the situations we face and internal perceptions of the states of our bodies. Our everyday
decisions about what to do are tied in with the same kinds of processes, which generate the gut
reactions that tell us what actions to pursue. According to Chapter 6, decision making is inference to
the best plan, selecting actions that accomplish our goals, which are emotionally marked neural
representations of desirable states of affairs. Such inferences require a dynamic interaction of
cognition and emotion. Good decision making requires the ability to adopt, abandon, and revalue
goals on the basis of experience.
To address ethical questions about the nature of morality and the meaning of life, we need to gobeyond the cognitive processes described in Chapters 2–4 to consider how the brain accomplishesemotional feelings and makes decisions. Chapter 5 defends a theory of emotional consciousness thatserves two purposes. First, it fulfills a promise in Chapter 3 to show how it is possible to give anaturalistic explanation of consciousness. Second, it provides the basis for the attempts in Chapters6–8 to describe the neural basis for meaningful decisions and moral judgments. I will argue that ouremotional feelings are the result of parallel brain processes that involve simultaneous cognitiveappraisal of the situations we face and internal perceptions of the states of our bodies. Our everydaydecisions about what to do are tied in with the same kinds of processes, which generate the gutreactions that tell us what actions to pursue. According to Chapter 6, decision making is inference tothe best plan, selecting actions that accomplish our goals, which are emotionally marked neuralrepresentations of desirable states of affairs. Such inferences require a dynamic interaction ofcognition and emotion. Good decision making requires the ability to adopt, abandon, and revaluegoals on the basis of experience.
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