Several Notes on the Phenomenological Analysis of Hatred in Íngrid Vendrell Ferran

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between anger and hatred within the context of Martin Heidegger’s philosophical reflections and phenomenological approaches to hatred, particularly as interpreted by Íngrid Vendrell Ferran. Heidegger distinguishes anger as an immediate affective reaction and hatred as a passion that enables a constitutive perception of the object of hatred. This study explores this distinction and analyzes how the repeated experience of anger can lead to its transformation into hatred, with hatred being understood as an affective disposition. Vendrell Ferran emphasizes the plurality of approaches to defining hatred in the academic literature and highlights its complexity. Through an analysis of Sternberg’s psychological theories and the phenomenological interpretations of Scheler, Pfänder, and Kolnai, she identifies hatred as a specific emotional state that is not homogeneous but consists of multiple components, including the negation of intimacy, passion, and the devaluation of the object. This study also investigates the epistemic function of hatred within Heidegger’s phenomenology of moods. Furthermore, it examines whether hatred is purely a destructive phenomenon or whether it may also play a constitutive role in human understanding of values and relationships. Drawing on phenomenological and psychological approaches, the study analyzes the fundamental aspects of hatred and its experience, exploring its relationship to love, resentment, and the moral evaluation of objects. The conclusion offers a critical reflection on the extent to which hatred can be understood as a specific mode of affective perception of the world and how it differs from other negative emotional states. By integrating perspectives from philosophy and psychology, this study contributes to a broader interdisciplinary understanding of the phenomenon of hatred.