Not Only a Messenger: Towards an Attitudinal-Representational Theory of Pain

Hilla Jacobson

doi:10.1111/phpr.12493

Not Only a Messenger: Towards an Attitudinal-Representational Theory of Pain

Hilla Jacobson

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

The main goal of this paper is to present a theory of the most salient aspect of the phenomenal character of pain – namely, the painfulness of pain or its negative affective quality. This task involves developing an account of the evaluative structure of pain, according to which painfulness is constituted by a (subjectively) frustrated (first-order) conative attitude that is directed towards the bodily condition the obtaining of which the pain represents. The argument for the proposed Attitudinal-Representational Theory of Pain proceeds by presenting an explanatory challenge that concerns crucial aspects of the reason-giving force of pain, and showing that, unlike extant theories of pain, it successfully accounts for them.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	382-408
Number of pages	27
Journal	Philosophy and Phenomenological Research
Volume	99
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/phpr.12493
State	Published - 1 Sep 2019
Externally published	Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Philosophy
History and Philosophy of Science

Access to Document

10.1111/phpr.12493

Cite this

@article{c957eacaa3834819a74643450c1a4889,

title = "Not Only a Messenger: Towards an Attitudinal-Representational Theory of Pain",

abstract = "The main goal of this paper is to present a theory of the most salient aspect of the phenomenal character of pain – namely, the painfulness of pain or its negative affective quality. This task involves developing an account of the evaluative structure of pain, according to which painfulness is constituted by a (subjectively) frustrated (first-order) conative attitude that is directed towards the bodily condition the obtaining of which the pain represents. The argument for the proposed Attitudinal-Representational Theory of Pain proceeds by presenting an explanatory challenge that concerns crucial aspects of the reason-giving force of pain, and showing that, unlike extant theories of pain, it successfully accounts for them.",

author = "Hilla Jacobson",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2018 Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, Inc",

year = "2019",

month = sep,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1111/phpr.12493",

language = "English",

volume = "99",

pages = "382--408",

journal = "Philosophy and Phenomenological Research",

issn = "0031-8205",

publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell",

number = "2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Not Only a Messenger

T2 - Towards an Attitudinal-Representational Theory of Pain

AU - Jacobson, Hilla

PY - 2019/9/1

Y1 - 2019/9/1

N2 - The main goal of this paper is to present a theory of the most salient aspect of the phenomenal character of pain – namely, the painfulness of pain or its negative affective quality. This task involves developing an account of the evaluative structure of pain, according to which painfulness is constituted by a (subjectively) frustrated (first-order) conative attitude that is directed towards the bodily condition the obtaining of which the pain represents. The argument for the proposed Attitudinal-Representational Theory of Pain proceeds by presenting an explanatory challenge that concerns crucial aspects of the reason-giving force of pain, and showing that, unlike extant theories of pain, it successfully accounts for them.

AB - The main goal of this paper is to present a theory of the most salient aspect of the phenomenal character of pain – namely, the painfulness of pain or its negative affective quality. This task involves developing an account of the evaluative structure of pain, according to which painfulness is constituted by a (subjectively) frustrated (first-order) conative attitude that is directed towards the bodily condition the obtaining of which the pain represents. The argument for the proposed Attitudinal-Representational Theory of Pain proceeds by presenting an explanatory challenge that concerns crucial aspects of the reason-giving force of pain, and showing that, unlike extant theories of pain, it successfully accounts for them.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85042391345&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1111/phpr.12493

DO - 10.1111/phpr.12493

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85042391345

SN - 0031-8205

VL - 99

SP - 382

EP - 408

JO - Philosophy and Phenomenological Research

JF - Philosophy and Phenomenological Research

IS - 2

ER -

Not Only a Messenger: Towards an Attitudinal-Representational Theory of Pain

Abstract

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this