ABSTRACT
The philosophy of emotion has been implicitly governed by a dogma about the role emotions play in our lives. According to the dogma, emotions inform us about our place in the world, about the way the natural and social environment relates to us, to our cares and concerns, including our likes and dislikes, desires, interests, and goals. Emotional salience is, in this view, a matter of tracking core relational themes between our cares and concerns and the external circumstances we encounter. These relations are conceived as the way various situations impinge on one’s well-being, qua human organism of a certain social and linguistic niche.
