What are the purpose of emotions?

[Lark]

I didn’t say it was my theory. I remembered reading about it in an article dealing with serial killers and theories on possible causes for their sociopathic behavior.

I didnt think it was your theory.

 

[❀༺♥༻ℭ𝔞𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔞_𝔄𝔦𝔰𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔤༺♥༻❀༺]

Emotion is the purpose, the reason. I think without them life doesn't have meaning. Could we live without them? Maybe we'll live, but we wont be alive. We dont look at things and only see colors, lines, patterns, we see ourselves in them. Emotions are perspectives personified...

"The human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, 'O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?' Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play *goes on* and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?" -Dead Poets Society

 

[Lark]

I don't always believe emotions can be trusted, or are constructive; I try to never feel anything too strongly...

I agree some what, on the other hand sometimes I dont think isolated cognitions would be to be trusted, its like all the debates surrounding the character of Spock on Star Trek, that his exclusive logic would have made him as much a liability as the characters given to overwhelmingly emotional responses, ie Dr McCoy, and when attempts are made to adopt the exclusively rational approach to life then the suppressed or disowned emoting will arise again in sick ass ideologies like the blood and soil movement which fed into nazism in Germany in the interwar years or futurism in Italy and disparite groups which formed around Franco and the Flangists in Spain prior to the whole sale murder of the democratic republican government.

Anger is temporary madness and the Stoics knew the cure but I think the better among them, Seneca for instance, was happier to make peace with some of the hedonists, ie Epicurus, or the cynics like Diogenes, than the rest of them.

There is a Jewish fable about the judgement in which God punishes not just the sins of wrong doing but sins of omission, every innocent pleasure available to mankind as unsolicited gift which individuals choose to forego out of aestheticism, which I like, it makes sense and experience of feeling is part of that. Epicurus suggested that death or annihilation should not be feared as, while it would mean the end of pleasure, more importantly it would be the end of pain as both he thought were consequences of physical sensation and the avoidance of pain was life's greatest pleasure (hedonism is a lot more modest defined that way). Understanding Epicurus made me rethink the experience of both good and bad emotional states because it can be life affirmative, properly understood (I'm not a masochist for instance, I think that's pathological).

 

[Lark]

Emotion is the purpose, the reason. I think without them life doesn't have meaning. Could we live without them? Maybe we'll live, but we wont be alive. We dont look at things and only see colors, lines, patterns, we see ourselves in them. Emotions are perspectives personified...

"The human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, 'O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?' Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play *goes on* and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?" -Dead Poets Society

Interesting.

I praise and value reason more than affect/emotion but I do have a lot of sympathy with what you say here, I would read more sources if you have them.

- - - Updated - - -

Anger is temporary madness: the Stoics knew how to curb it | Aeon

 

[Dreamer]

Ah, that's a very interesting way of looking at it, I'd never considered those others as emotions before. Thank you for giving me another perspective to consider...

How [MENTION=17729]Typh0n[/MENTION] is describing emotion in this broader, experiential context is exactly how I experience and know of emotion actually. I've shared this understanding with a couple members but I really don't share this view unless someone is so interested as it tends to be received with blank stares like I've just attempted to literally summon the blue genie from Alladen.

I understand the general category of emotion, to be split up into two subcategories, the short, choppy waters and waves crashing you'd see by the shoreline, and the more gentle, rolling waves you would experience further out as the ground below drops. The waves are what everyone sees and understands most readily, those are the immediate impulses felt from every ping as you go about your day. The rolling waves are seen and felt over longer time, and contain much more depth since you are no longer by the shoreline. The arc of these waves is broader and wider, so they are not easily accessible and felt. The purpose of these categories, for me, is the delineation between acting right now, and how I shall reflect on what has been, while also look forward to what might be. The deeper waters is also where I find the meaning and direction of my life, they also contain the longevity of my existence.

If I am to know how best to venture beyond my known lands and sights, out towards the sea and beyond, to new avenues and posibility, I must see what is in front of me, the shores, and see what I will be bringing along with me for the journey, the inner depths that is me. I cannot function without seeing and knowing both levels of emotion.

 

[The Cat]

How [MENTION=17729]Typh0n[/MENTION] is describing emotion in this broader, experiential context is exactly how I experience and know of emotion actually. I've shared this understanding with a couple members but I really don't share this view unless someone is so interested as it tends to be received with blank stares like I've just attempted to literally summon the blue genie from Alladen.

I understand the general category of emotion, to be split up into two subcategories, the short, choppy waters and waves crashing you'd see by the shoreline, and the more gentle, rolling waves you would experience further out as the ground below drops. The waves are what everyone sees and understands most readily, those are the immediate impulses felt from every ping as you go about your day. The rolling waves are seen and felt over longer time, and contain much more depth since you are no longer by the shoreline. The arc of these waves is broader and wider, so they are not easily accessible and felt. The purpose of these categories, for me, is the delineation between acting right now, and how I shall reflect on what has been, while also look forward to what might be. The deeper waters is also where I find the meaning and direction of my life, they also contain the longevity of my existence.

If I am to know how best to venture beyond my known lands and sights, out towards the sea and beyond, to new avenues and posibility, I must see what is in front of me, the shores, and see what I will be bringing along with me for the journey, the inner depths that is me. I cannot function without seeing and knowing both levels of emotion.

fascinating my dear Doctor as always...

 

[❀༺♥༻ℭ𝔞𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔞_𝔄𝔦𝔰𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔤༺♥༻❀༺]

Interesting.

I praise and value reason more than affect/emotion but I do have a lot of sympathy with what you say here, I would read more sources if you have them.

- - - Updated - - -

Anger is temporary madness: the Stoics knew how to curb it | Aeon

Thank you I definitely value reason/logic as well, but I think that emotions have a very important and necessary role to play in our lives. Valuing emotion gets a bad rap because people associate emotion with lack of control, impulsive and reckless. Something to ignore in favor of a level head. And sometimes emotion is like that, not even the most logical person can avoid that feeling, though they'd try. But overall, if you regulate and manage your emotions they wont control your life in a negative fashion, they'll enhance it and balance it. We need to allow ourselves to feel, to go through things, in turn that vulnerability can make us stronger and wiser. So we can understand how to deal with things instead of shutting off.

Oh, other than the quote that was just me talking c: But if you'd like to read more things on the value/purpose of emotions I could certainly try and find something for you?

Edit: also I love that article ^^

 

[Coriolis]

I would say they don't have a purpose for existing, rather it is the other way around: emotions are what give purpose to our existence. When you think about, any kind of purpose, or goal, we create for ourselves is not logically motivated even if it is justified through logic.

I would say our purpose is motivated by our values, not by logic or by emotion.

give me the snow capped mountains in the silence of winter, and vast green meadows filled with dandelions, a light breeze and birds chirping in a nearby tree.

So you think it is impossible to experience such things without emotion? I'm with [MENTION=30038]Gentleman Jack[/MENTION]: please elaborate.

I think you may be confusing short term emotions like anger or immediate joy with deeper feelings. Yes, I agree that it's more contsructive to have emotions follow you rather than you follow emotions, but there are deeper things like wonder, curiousity, beauty, love - things which are not just a fleeting feeling but can be considered experiences withing the emotional range.

Well, if you are going include things like this in the category of emotions, it expands considerably what you can claim for it.

How [MENTION=17729]Typh0n[/MENTION] is describing emotion in this broader, experiential context is exactly how I experience and know of emotion actually. I've shared this understanding with a couple members but I really don't share this view unless someone is so interested as it tends to be received with blank stares like I've just attempted to literally summon the blue genie from Alladen.

I understand the general category of emotion, to be split up into two subcategories, the short, choppy waters and waves crashing you'd see by the shoreline, and the more gentle, rolling waves you would experience further out as the ground below drops. The waves are what everyone sees and understands most readily, those are the immediate impulses felt from every ping as you go about your day. The rolling waves are seen and felt over longer time, and contain much more depth since you are no longer by the shoreline. The arc of these waves is broader and wider, so they are not easily accessible and felt. The purpose of these categories, for me, is the delineation between acting right now, and how I shall reflect on what has been, while also look forward to what might be. The deeper waters is also where I find the meaning and direction of my life, they also contain the longevity of my existence.

If I am to know how best to venture beyond my known lands and sights, out towards the sea and beyond, to new avenues and posibility, I must see what is in front of me, the shores, and see what I will be bringing along with me for the journey, the inner depths that is me. I cannot function without seeing and knowing both levels of emotion.

Are the actual emotions involved on the two levels different, or just experienced with different time constants? It is easier for me to see this as something worthwhile than something necessary, I suppose because to consider it necessary implies that operating without it would be a handicap of sorts. Do you think that?

Thank you I definitely value reason/logic as well, but I think that emotions have a very important and necessary role to play in our lives. Valuing emotion gets a bad rap because people associate emotion with lack of control, impulsive and reckless. Something to ignore in favor of a level head. And sometimes emotion is like that, not even the most logical person can avoid that feeling, though they'd try. But overall, if you regulate and manage your emotions they wont control your life in a negative fashion, they'll enhance it and balance it. We need to allow ourselves to feel, to go through things, in turn that vulnerability can make us stronger and wiser. So we can understand how to deal with things instead of shutting off.

Isn't shutting emotions off the best response in some situations? I have never understood the idea of vulnerability making us stronger, and the wisdom it has to offer seems the equivalent of learning a valuable lesson through adversity.

 

[The Cat]

How does one feel comfortable trusting something as fickle as emotions to guide their way through life? I get that a sense of equilibrium is necessary to navigate civilized life, but I am still distrustful...

 

[Typh0n]

How does one feel comfortable trusting something as fickle as emotions to guide their way through life? I get that a sense of equilibrium is necessary to navigate civilized life, but I am still distrustful...

I think you should be distrustful. Life-changing decisions shouldn't be taken on something fickle. [MENTION=9811]Coriolis[/MENTION] said something about our actions being decided by our values, which I agree with but values are something subjective, hence I still consider them connected to our affects though perhaps they are not to be confused the affect itself. I guess the trick is to figure what you value, deeply, not just in a passing moment.

I kinda like the difference between will and whim made by Aleister Crowley, though I am not really a believer in his system and I don't know what your beliefs are, I like the idea that we have a "true will" to be discovered, like a life purpose, which is distinct from passing appetites or impulses. I don't know how to be bring this up without sounding like an occultist myself, like I said I dunno what your beliefs are and I'm not out to judge that. But what you said about being distrustful resonates with me, since I feel the same way. I find that seeking a deeper will than one dictated by just my passing affects, and then making decisions with respect to what I believe will make me the happiest, has worked for me thus far.

 

[Lord Lavender]

Dr. Ernest Von Cat Brainz, Professor of Emotional Studies at TypeC University! My esteemed colleague.

Let me say I believe emotions are necessary for more complex life forms, particularly species with social interdependence, to function in a healthy manner. Ants work well together arguably far better than humans but they are relatively simple constructs with very limited needs. Humans are not driven to stay together by simple instructions in simple nerve centers. Without emotions say love for example, parents my provide offspring with food and shelter but little more. The child would seldom be held except for feeding and the changing of diapers but never simply because of the love of the parents for the child and the need to express it through physical connection and communication. The infant would not develop a sense of caring for it’s family and humans in general. A lack of empathy for the plight of others leads to a less effective society a less effective society dies.

This I believe held true in the past at least when humans lived in smaller less structured groups where maintaining a cohesive community wasn’t so much dependent upon infrastructure and rules and regulations so much as it was kept strong through emotional bonding.

Just a theory.

I like your theory and it makes very good logical sense as in order to evolve beyond basic living group effort is needed and there are many mechanisms that could have lead that way to that happening such as pheromones like ants have but that would mean that creative or original thinking would be in short supply as this leads to a literal group think case which would mean a lack of any fast progress. On emodel I could put forwards is the neural net here collecting more and more information as time progresses but would this network be really able to innovate by itself as even complex computer networks dont self innovate without outside influence. A theory we could put forwards is the emotions started off with the essentials like anger, pleasure, fear e.t.c and the extra emotions came from the processing power we evoled to see more shades of those primitive emotions (A bit like graphics in may ways as both Altari and Xbox 2 have the same RBG color scheme but the Xbox has far more processing power therefore a wider range and more complexity in expression).

 

[Lord Lavender]

Humans and animals are affect driven, affect is an idea attached to emotion or strong emotion, more rationalising than reasoning, that is deciding on the basis of these affects and "explaining" their thinking after the fact, there's a whole bunch of complex explanations of why this is so, its been the word of psychology to do so since the early days even pre-Freud.

For the time being some evolutionary psychologists have the best explanations I can think of, ie that our cognitive brain, is a recent innovation, for much longer, probably the greater part of human history, we've been reliant on the older "serpentine" brain, under stress, in crisis or under threat, it kicks in, some people are more reliant on that part of the brain more than the cognitive part, lesions, brain chemistry, it all matters, anyway, affects, particularly strong affects, can compel behaviour quicker than cool headed reasoning, for the greater part of human history I think that's been important to survival so its that which gets passed on the following generation, evolution has selected for it and maybe carries on selecting for it.

That could explain the commonly complained about trend that people are less feeling today than they were years ago as we today depend less and less on our emotional outgoing side of the brain which would have helped us survive in a more dangerous world as we had to feel the full range of emotions such as fear (To avoid being killed off by predators), anger (To fight off rival tribes) e.t.c as well as be more outgoing to bond together into groups to avoid being vulnerable lone wolfs but today we have no incentive to be emotional or group seeking in modern society at the base level. This explains the behaviour shift we have seen people go through as those traits are no longer selected against.

 

[Lord Lavender]

Well this is a religious perspective mind you,

but if we were never sad, or angry, or downtrodden, we would never understand what it is to feel happy. Without emotions we cannot find pleasure in things.

So in essence, emotions exist so we can feel pleasure in life.

This argument we can only make from our current standpoint of being emotional creatures since we project what it would be like to live a life without any emotions on this theoretical emotionless being. Even feeling a lack of passion or depressive apathy requires emotions to feel in the first place since removal of emotions is different from never having any in the first place in many ways. Also is there any logical benefit to pleasure or not do you think?. I personally think pleasure evolved from the base emotion of need that our more primitive ancestors felt when they had food, were able to mate or from bonding with their offspring as all actions are conductive to surviving.

 

[Polaris]

Emotions don't have any inherent purpose. They just exist, and you can do whatever you like with them. As for why we have emotion, I think the answer is that having emotions is an inescapable part of being conscious. To perceive something is to feel something. Just try it out--look at any object and pay attention to your emotions. You'll find that every object conveys a mood of its own.

 

[Lord Lavender]

How does one feel comfortable trusting something as fickle as emotions to guide their way through life? I get that a sense of equilibrium is necessary to navigate civilized life, but I am still distrustful...

Emotions I dont trust at all beyond a surface level of "is this fun or painful for me or will this make me well liked or hated by others" since I tend to find they dont lead anywhere at all and I find that logical and scientific thinking trumps emotion for me. If I had to use myself on logic and emotions as a metaphorical construct I would say logic is my control room as its not the boss of all but plays a pretty large part in my choices and feeling for me is more my HR department as it seeks to make me seem less of a robot by being able to deal with others emotions but at the end of the day its not really a part of me but more something that helps me deal with certain challenges.

 

[Lark]

Thank you I definitely value reason/logic as well, but I think that emotions have a very important and necessary role to play in our lives. Valuing emotion gets a bad rap because people associate emotion with lack of control, impulsive and reckless. Something to ignore in favor of a level head. And sometimes emotion is like that, not even the most logical person can avoid that feeling, though they'd try. But overall, if you regulate and manage your emotions they wont control your life in a negative fashion, they'll enhance it and balance it. We need to allow ourselves to feel, to go through things, in turn that vulnerability can make us stronger and wiser. So we can understand how to deal with things instead of shutting off.

Oh, other than the quote that was just me talking c: But if you'd like to read more things on the value/purpose of emotions I could certainly try and find something for you?

Edit: also I love that article ^^

I do think that emotions are a good servant but bad master.

 

[❀༺♥༻ℭ𝔞𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔞_𝔄𝔦𝔰𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔤༺♥༻❀༺]

Isn't shutting emotions off the best response in some situations? I have never understood the idea of vulnerability making us stronger, and the wisdom it has to offer seems the equivalent of learning a valuable lesson through adversity.

I wouldn't quite say that, no. Shutting them off is ignoring them. It's repressing which can cause bitterness, you might start going towards unhealthy coping methods, it might affect your relationships, and it stunts personal growth. You're not dealing with anything that way, which isn't healthy. You have to acknowledge its presence, and do something about them. When you experience unpleasant emotions, it means something is wrong somewhere in your life. Ignoring a feeling that's seriously affecting you and distracting you from everyday duties isn't the answer. You may successfully call off the chase for a bit but then you'll be right back at it again. In situations like that, you need to recognize, understand, and accept that feeling, so you can try to do something about it. Paying attention to your emotions means you can differentiate what's a deep rooted problem, or just fleeting emotions.

However, if you meant deciding what's most important in a given situation, and realizing it would be best to putting aside your feelings for the greater good, that's more along the lines of selflessness. Realizing that the world doesn't revolve around you, and that you can't have your way all the time. You don't always have to always act on your emotions, but when you acknowledge them you can take the time to reflect & see if it's valid or not. Rather than going, "what's this? An emotion? Time to put it away with the others."

Vulnerability doesn't mean not being resilient. I consider myself a resilient person, but I'm also very vulnerable. I own my emotional states, but I also vow not to be defeated by them. And by allowing myself the freedom to be human, I've learned a lot about myself and how to navigate these feelings if they arise again. I think going through any adversity is an emotional experience, and you will feel vulnerable during that time, even if you don't share that vulnerability with others. Vulnerability is basically uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure. That's why people hate it, that's why people are guarded. Even I don't express my vulnerability with everyone. But something I've experienced in all my relationships, is that when one person is vulnerable, whether it be me or the friend, it gives the other person courage to be vulnerable too. It’s also just a lot more interesting because real fascinates us.

 

[Coriolis]

I think you should be distrustful. Life-changing decisions shouldn't be taken on something fickle. [MENTION=9811]Coriolis[/MENTION] said something about our actions being decided by our values, which I agree with but values are something subjective, hence I still consider them connected to our affects though perhaps they are not to be confused the affect itself. I guess the trick is to figure what you value, deeply, not just in a passing moment.

Values and emotions are both subjective, but decidedly not the same. The former is the root of subjective judgment, while the latter seems to be more akin to sensory input, similar to feeling hungry or tired or warm.

I kinda like the difference between will and whim made by Aleister Crowley, though I am not really a believer in his system and I don't know what your beliefs are, I like the idea that we have a "true will" to be discovered, like a life purpose, which is distinct from passing appetites or impulses. I don't know how to be bring this up without sounding like an occultist myself, like I said I dunno what your beliefs are and I'm not out to judge that. But what you said about being distrustful resonates with me, since I feel the same way. I find that seeking a deeper will than one dictated by just my passing affects, and then making decisions with respect to what I believe will make me the happiest, has worked for me thus far.

The Wiccan Rede states, "An it harm none, do as ye will." Many people focus on the first half, which is certainly important. While doing no harm whatsoever is an unattainable ideal, aiming for it is a good way to live considerately on the earth and with others. The second part deserves equal attention, though, for exactly the reason you mention. To fulfill it, or even to try, requires us to determine what that Will (I often write it with a capital) is for ourselves and our lives. Without that, it is just an invitation to hedonism in the worst sense; following our transient whims and fancies.

Emotions I dont trust at all beyond a surface level of "is this fun or painful for me or will this make me well liked or hated by others" since I tend to find they dont lead anywhere at all and I find that logical and scientific thinking trumps emotion for me. If I had to use myself on logic and emotions as a metaphorical construct I would say logic is my control room as its not the boss of all but plays a pretty large part in my choices and feeling for me is more my HR department as it seeks to make me seem less of a robot by being able to deal with others emotions but at the end of the day its not really a part of me but more something that helps me deal with certain challenges.

My outlook is similar, though I don't usually worry about being well liked or hated. Yes, logic is the control room, and if it reports to any boss that boss is my goals and values. These, though, are formulated and reviewed for consistency using the resources available in that control room. Emotions are not HR but rather one of several sensor systems. Others look for objective external data like cost, schedule, available resources, past performance, etc. The control room takes the requirement from the boss, reports back with any inconsistency or conflict, gets the boss' verdict, then seeks and implements a solution using logical processes and the input of the sensor systems. As for seeming less of a robot, if that depends on being able to handle the emotions of others, there is no hope. I am still learning to handle my own.

I wouldn't quite say that, no. Shutting them off is ignoring them. It's repressing which can cause bitterness, you might start going towards unhealthy coping methods, it might affect your relationships, and it stunts personal growth. You're not dealing with anything that way, which isn't healthy. You have to acknowledge its presence, and do something about them. When you experience unpleasant emotions, it means something is wrong somewhere in your life. Ignoring a feeling that's seriously affecting you and distracting you from everyday duties isn't the answer. You may successfully call off the chase for a bit but then you'll be right back at it again. In situations like that, you need to recognize, understand, and accept that feeling, so you can try to do something about it. Paying attention to your emotions means you can differentiate what's a deep rooted problem, or just fleeting emotions.

However, if you meant deciding what's most important in a given situation, and realizing it would be best to putting aside your feelings for the greater good, that's more along the lines of selflessness. Realizing that the world doesn't revolve around you, and that you can't have your way all the time. You don't always have to always act on your emotions, but when you acknowledge them you can take the time to reflect & see if it's valid or not. Rather than going, "what's this? An emotion? Time to put it away with the others."

Shutting off is not the same as ignoring. I don't ignore my alarm clock in the morning - I actually do get up - but I don't want to have to keep listening to it while I get ready for the day. Then there are crisis situations in which people can let their emotions get the better of them and lead them either to panic, or to paralysis. In these cases, it is best to set emotions aside and address the situation as calmly and rationally as possible. Panic is rarely if ever a productive response. Finally, what would you consider to be an invalid emotion? I consider all of them to be valid, because you cannot deny what you actually feel. It is not productive to act on all of them, and it may turn out that some of them are based on a misunderstanding of the situation. Once corrected, though, the emotions should adjust on their own.

Vulnerability doesn't mean not being resilient. I consider myself a resilient person, but I'm also very vulnerable. I own my emotional states, but I also vow not to be defeated by them. And by allowing myself the freedom to be human, I've learned a lot about myself and how to navigate these feelings if they arise again. I think going through any adversity is an emotional experience, and you will feel vulnerable during that time, even if you don't share that vulnerability with others. Vulnerability is basically uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure.

This is one of the more understandable definitions I have seen. Risk needs to be balanced with reward, though, and I have yet to be convinced that it is here.

 

[highlander]

They give you the energy to act

 

[Tellenbach]

There are probably instances where the logical thing to do puts one at an evolutionary disadvantage; emotions are an adaptation that improves our chances of passing our genes to future generations.

For example, trying to sleep with a bunch of actresses might not be the most logical thing to do for your career, but the lust does improve the chances of spreading your seed and passing on your genes.