The emotional dimensions of reason-giving in deliberative forums

Rousiley C. M. Maia () and Gabriella Hauber ()
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Rousiley C. M. Maia: The Federal University of de Minas Gerais
Gabriella Hauber: The Federal University of de Minas Gerais

Policy Sciences, 2020, vol. 53, issue 1, No 3, 33-59

Abstract: Abstract This study investigates the role of emotions in the context of a controversial debate surrounding criminal legislation in Brazil. While several thinkers have criticized deliberation for requiring purely rational discourse, we argue that emotion is a central component in the reasoning process. Whereas existing research on the link between justification and emotion has been theoretical, this article offers a novel analytical framework, based on correlational and content analyses, to examine how anger, indignation, fear and compassion underlay reasoned claims. This study is based on data from a morally charged debate in Brazil’s National Congress about setting the criminal responsibility age. Findings reveal that (i) emotions are not randomly distributed, but strongly correlate with the direction of argumentation; (ii) intentional objects, while not involving straightforward cognition, inform perspectives of reasoning; and (iii) these relationships appear unaffected by forum designs. This study helps to understand both personal and social levels of emotional concerns; has methodological implications for surveying emotional dynamics as a socially driven phenomenon; and offers general insights about how the imbrication of reason-giving and emotions is effectively achieved, further away from simplistic notions of rationality.

Keywords: Deliberation; Emotion; Rationality; Argumentation; Justification; Anger; Fear; Indignation; Compassion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11077-019-09363-1

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