Final answer:
Propositional attitudes embody cognitive, affective, and behavioral components. They are both constructed by our neurological system based on past experiences and often consciously controlled. Philosophically, one must balance skepticism with emotional responses to maintain objective reasoning.
Step-by-step explanation:
Propositional attitudes such as belief and suspicion involve not just a logical framework but also an experiential, embodied aspect. They represent our mental state towards a proposition or sentence, sometimes driven by emotions and affective states. In the psychological or neurological sense, these attitudes are a part of embodied cognition, where our evaluations stem from a complex interplay between cognitive, affective, and behavioral components.
When considering the cognitive aspect, we are referring to the declarative part of the attitude, which can be deemed true or false. The affective component relates to the emotions we feel about the proposition, while the behavioral component encompasses how these attitudes influence our actions.
From a neurological perspective, Lisa Feldman Barrett's constructivist theory suggests that emotions, which are integral to our propositional attitudes, are predictions and not built into the brain at birth. As such, identical physiological states can result in different emotions depending on the brain's predictions. Additionally, the principles of cognitive dissonance show that maintaining positive self-esteem can motivate us to align our attitudes and beliefs with our actions, indicating a conscious element of control over these attitudes.