Lesson · 4 min Stretch
What Emotions Know
In one line Nussbaum argued that emotions are judgments about what matters to us, so they can be accurate, mistaken or educated.
Many people think emotions are blind surges, the opposite of reason. Martha Nussbaum, drawing on the Stoics, argued the reverse: emotions contain judgments. Grief judges that someone of great value to me is lost. Fear judges that something I care about is under threat.
If emotions are judgments, they can be right or wrong. Envy may judge that another’s success makes me less; shame may judge that I am worthless because of one failure. Both can be examined like any other belief. Unlike the Stoics, who wanted many emotions removed, Nussbaum thought emotions such as grief and compassion show that we rightly care about things beyond our control.
The practical point is that emotions can be educated: we can learn to feel fittingly, not just more or less.
Go deeper
Other theories see emotions as perceptions of bodily changes, following William James, or as perceptions of value rather than full judgments. Aristotle held that the virtuous person feels the right emotion, at the right time, toward the right person, to the right degree. Seneca’s view of anger is explored in The First Spark of Anger.
The colleague’s promotion
When a colleague is promoted, Femi feels a sharp stab of envy. He notices the thought inside it: her success makes me a failure.
Put into words, the judgment looks false. Her promotion takes nothing from his work, and he admires what she did. The feeling fades a little. What remains is useful: he wants more responsibility, and he can ask for it.
Try this today Next time you feel envy or shame, name the judgment inside it, then ask whether that judgment is true.
Cite or share this lesson
A plain reference you can paste into notes or an essay:
Quest2Reason. “What Emotions Know.” https://quest2reason.com/learn/lesson/what-emotions-know. Accessed 13 November 2026.
Sources
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “Emotion” — Surveys theories of emotion, including judgment and perception views.
- Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “Theories of Emotion” — Covers cognitive theories such as Nussbaum’s and their critics.
- Martha Nussbaum, Upheavals of Thought: The Intelligence of Emotions (2001) — Her account of emotions as judgments of value, and where she parts from the Stoics.