Richard Firth-Godbehere

A sweeping exploration of the ways in which emotions shaped the course of human history, and how our experience and understanding of emotions have evolved along with us. We humans like to think of ourselves as rational creatures, who, as a species, have relied on calculation and intellect to survive. But many of the most important moments in our history had little to do with cold, hard facts and a lot to do with feelings. Events ranging from the origins of philosophy to the birth of the world's major religions, the fall of Rome, the Scientific Revolution, and some of the bloodiest wars that humanity has ever experienced can't be properly understood without understanding emotions. In A HUMAN HISTORY OF EMOTION, Richard Firth-Godbehere takes readers on a fascinating and wide ranging tour of the central and often under-appreciated role emotions have played in human societies around the world and throughout history -- from Ancient Greece to Gambia, Japan, the Ottoman Empire, the United States, and beyond. Drawing on psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, art, and religious history, A HUMAN HISTORY EMOTION vividly illustrates how our understanding and experience of emotions has changed over time, and how our beliefs about feelings -- and our feelings themselves -- profoundly shaped us and the world we inhabit.

How the Way We Feel Built the World We Know

A Human History of Emotion

How Emotions Shaped the World

SENTIENT

How have our emotions shaped the course of human history? And how have our experience and understanding of emotions evolved with us?

A Human History of Emotion: How the Way We Feel Built the World We Know

A sweeping exploration of the ways in which emotions shaped the course of human history, and how our experience and understanding of emotions have evolved along with us. "Eye-opening and thought-provoking!” (Gina Rippon, author of The Gendered Brain) We humans like to think of ourselves as rational creatures, who, as a species, have relied on calculation and intellect to survive. But many of the most important moments in our history had little to do with cold, hard facts and a lot to do with feelings. Events ranging from the origins of philosophy to the birth of the world’s major religions, the fall of Rome, the Scientific Revolution, and some of the bloodiest wars that humanity has ever experienced can’t be properly understood without understanding emotions. Drawing on psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, art, and religious history, Richard Firth-Godbehere takes readers on a fascinating and wide ranging tour of the central and often under-appreciated role emotions have played in human societies around the world and throughout history—from Ancient Greece to Gambia, Japan, the Ottoman Empire, the United States, and beyond. A Human History of Emotion vividly illustrates how our understanding and experience of emotions has changed over time, and how our beliefs about feelings—and our feelings themselves—profoundly shaped us and the world we inhabit.

Hoe onze emoties de mensheid hebben gevormd – een nieuwe wereldgeschiedenis Wij mensen zien onszelf graag als rationele wezens die hun voortbestaan als soort te danken hebben aan hun intellect. Maar veel van de belangrijkste momenten in onze geschiedenis hebben helemaal niets te maken met harde feiten, maar komen juist voort uit gevoelens. Van de geboorte van de belangrijkste wereldreligies en de val van Rome tot de wetenschappelijke revolutie en de meest bloederige oorlogen: altijd speelden emoties een bepalende rol. In Homo emoticus neemt Richard Firth-Godbehere ons mee op een fascinerende en uitvoerige reis door de geschiedenis van de mens. Aan de hand van psychologie, neurowetenschap, filosofie, kunst en religieuze geschiedenis onthult hij de cruciale en vaak ondergewaardeerde rol van emoties wereldwijd – van het oude Griekenland en het Ottomaanse Rijk tot Gambia, Japan, de Verenigde Staten en meer. Daarmee geeft Homo emoticus niet alleen een nieuwe kijk op de evolutie van de mens, maar ook op de fundamentele invloed van emoties op de wereld waarin we nu leven.

Richard Firth-Godbehere

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