The paper aims to deal with the question of female subject within the scope of philosophy of difference and the discourse of emotion. While traditional western philosophy focuses on universalizable method exercised by rational reason, it tries to exclude the influence of emotion and individual preference. However, as recently recognized by cognitive science and psychology, emotion plays a cognitive role in detecting the need and desire of people and the factors of a given situation relevant to the interests of people. Furthermore, emotions are not like natural inclinations, but they can be informed, taught, and revised through engagement in the experiences of other subjects in virtue of sympathy and empathy. The manner of affective engagement in other subjects can be characterized as dialogue-narrative in the sense that the interlocutor imagines the inner world of the other by projecting a possible narrative onto what s/he sees or hears. In regard of the question of female subject, emotion is a vital means for creating a narrative concerning the other female subject. In the process of constructing a narrative and responding affectively, the female interlocutor can create herself as well as build a collective identity and solidarity between the two. The emotion narrative imposes a peculiar colour and tone on the collective identity, which can be called a style, for participants in dialogue perceive the concrete needs and desires of each other, improvise coping strategies, and thereby revise their own views and preferences.

The paper aims to deal with the question of female subject within the scope of philosophy of difference and the discourse of emotion. While traditional western philosophy focuses on universalizable method exercised by rational reason, it tries to exclude the influence of emotion and individual preference. However, as recently recognized by cognitive science and psychology, emotion plays a cognitive role in detecting the need and desire of people and the factors of a given situation relevant to the interests of people. Furthermore, emotions are not like natural inclinations, but they can be informed, taught, and revised through engagement in the experiences of other subjects in virtue of sympathy and empathy. The manner of affective engagement in other subjects can be characterized as dialogue-narrative in the sense that the interlocutor imagines the inner world of the other by projecting a possible narrative onto what s/he sees or hears. In regard of the question of female subject, emotion is a vital means for creating a narrative concerning the other female subject. In the process of constructing a narrative and responding affectively, the female interlocutor can create herself as well as build a collective identity and solidarity between the two. The emotion narrative imposes a peculiar colour and tone on the collective identity, which can be called a style, for participants in dialogue perceive the concrete needs and desires of each other, improvise coping strategies, and thereby revise their own views and preferences.

philosophy of identity, philosophy of difference, emotion narrative, method, style, dialogue-narrative model, collective identity, pity, compassion