Hostile Emotions and the Problem of Their Collectivity (O neprijateljskim emocijama i problemu njihove kolektivnosti) (original) (raw)

2020, Theoria 63 (4)

The paper discusses the nature of negative (hostile) emotions and their role in the cultural, i.e. the ethical world of life. A distinction is made between positive and negative emotions on the basis of their orientation towards the outside world and towards the bearer of emotional states. It is claimed that the bearer of negative emotions, unlike positive ones, becomes, in fact, their hostage over time, and that he is intentionally turned towards himself as an object instead of towards other people. I also claimed that this kind of intentionality is ‘empty’, because the object of intention exists only in the memory of the subject of intention. In the end, I presented arguments in favor of the existence of collective hostile emotions that can have a positive meaning in a certain social context, which is characterized by obvious social inequality and injustice.