Darwin’s work on the emotions is less well known than his writing on species, but it formed a central part of his thinking on human evolution. He conducted research on emotions for over three decades using his friends, family and pets as objects of study and experiment, examining the central role of sentiments and affections in the origin of human nature and the development of moral behaviour.
In his talk, Dr Paul White explored the relationship between Darwin’s scientific study of emotions and his own emotional experience.