[ExI] Point of emotion

[ablainey at aol.com]

-----Original Message-----
From: The Avantguardian <avantguardian2020 at yahoo.com>


Are you suggesting that emotions are necessary prerequisite for goal-
oriented cognition? Are not certain psychopathologies like major
depression or schizoid presonality disorder characterized by a lack of
emotion? While depressed people may not be operating well in a social
sense, I don't think one could say that they no longer are capable of
complex thought. While emotions are certainly important motivators in
mating and fighting for monkey status, I am not sure they are of any
benefit in doing unpleasant tasks or tasks of marginal use to natural
selection such as scrubbing public toilets.

Not sure about schizoid personality disorder, but I would say that depression is the oposite of a lack of emotion.
I would describe it as a?very strong?negative emotion which is at such a high level that normal life becomes difficult if not imposible.
As someone that has come to except depression as a normal?part of my pyscological makeup, I would say that those depressive
periods are among the most emotional and also include the most unrelentingly complex thoughts. Which can add to the depresive cycle
even when the thoughts are not negative. Very similar to insomnia induced by a problem at work that you just can't stop trying to solve.
I would agree that love and anger?give obvious evolutionary advantage. If I read you correctly about emotions and meanial or degrading
tasks, then I think the negative emotions we associate with such jobs show that these emotions do help us to climb the status ladder.?
?Which?is related to love and reproduction.?The obvious implication is that these emotions are designed to keep us healthy so?we avoid dirty or dangerous jobs.
For other menial and marginal jobs, They just pay the bills, which is just plain survival in a mordern world.

Alex




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