Self-evaluation : affective and social grounds of intentionality

Abstract

Self-evaluation is a term recently reassessed in academic philosophy by the joint efforts of two Swiss research teams. The topic was launched on the occasion of the workshop “Self-Evaluation – Individual and Collective”, held in Basel in January 2009. The aim of the workshop was to open new approaches for investigating tradi- tional questions such as the scope and purpose of self-knowledge, the interrelation between the social and the individual person, and the significance of emotional appraisal. The scientific added value created by a perspective that shifts the focus from “self-knowledge” to “self-evaluation” is threefold: (i) the wider extension of the concept of self-evaluation allows a broader perspective on the structure of per- sonal reflexivity; (ii) the notion of self-evaluation implies a matrix of values, and insofar as valuations imply a social context, the broadened perspective on personal reflexivity incorporates social relations; (iii) since affective states and attitudes play a crucial role in the detection and recognition of values, the broadened perspective on personal reflexivity incorporates affective assessment. In short, self-evaluation is a conception of personal reflexivity which incorporates sociality and affectivity. That this approach is more than promising was confirmed by positive responses of leading philosophers in the respective fields of research. The initial exchange of ideas on the occasion of the workshop led to deepened discussions on the topic which eventually materialized in the present volume.