>> My point, in that essay, is that the nature of human emotions is rooted in >> the human brain architecture, Mark> I'll agree that human emotions are rooted in human brain Mark> architecture but there is also the question -- is there Mark> something analogous to emotion which is generally necessary for Mark> *effective* intelligence? My answer is a qualified but definite Mark> yes since emotion clearly serves a number of purposes that Mark> apparently aren't otherwise served (in our brains) by our pure Mark> logical reasoning mechanisms (although, potentially, there may Mark> be something else that serves those purposes equally well). In Mark> particular, emotions seem necessary (in humans) to a) provide Mark> goals, b) provide pre-programmed constraints (for when logical Mark> reasoning doesn't have enough information), and c) enforce Mark> urgency.
My view is that emotions are systems programmed in by the genome to cause the computational machinery to pursue ends of interest to evolution, namely those relevant to leaving grandchildren. ----- This list is sponsored by AGIRI: http://www.agiri.org/email To unsubscribe or change your options, please go to: http://v2.listbox.com/member/?member_id=231415&user_secret=fabd7936
