The Heart and its Attitudes

Philosophers don''t often write about the heart. At least, analytical philosophers don''t. Why is this? Philosophers are said to live life <"in their heads>" rather than <"from their hearts.>" But even if that is so, why don''t they think and write about the heart? Moreover, it can hardly have escaped philosophers'' attention that matters of the heart are central to what we human beings value most about our lives, including our lives with animals. Philosophers write a lot about friendship and love, but they tend to do so in terms that leave out heartfelt connection. They speak rather of commitment to one another and each other''s well-being, or taking each other as ends, or sharing deliberative standpoints or living life together, or a whole host of other topics, and much less about mutual emotional vulnerability and sharing and being in one another''s hearts. Surely one explanation of philosophers'' reticence is that talk of <"the heart>" seems unavoidably metaphorical. It turns out t