On 24/10/2008, at 2:43 PM, A. Wolf wrote:
>> acting in a sense contrary to how you feel. Takes a bit of practice >> but anybody can act. > > This is true, but this is mostly frontal lobe territory...suppressing > dominant responses with an interest in long-term benefit. It's good > that we > have that...people without it are as bad as sociopaths. Frontal- > temporal > dementias can turn a normal, modest person into a mindlessly cussing, > child-molesting exhibitionist; not because it evokes new emotion, but > because it prevents the victim from being able to inhibit any of their > desires. In those of us with a functioning frontal lobe, the > emotions are > still there under the surface and still direct action when > inhibition is not > logically called for. Of particular interest, this. I believe this is why I am suggesting we get more 'canny' about emotions. You can perhaps rely on somebody's intelligence, but can you rely on their (emotional) honesty? Liars get more lovers, apparently - it's in NewScientist somewhere... Emotions are actually at the heart of everything. Our emotional need for whatever. Emotions are always smuggled into any argument. They are often disguised as 'logic'. They are probably at the heart of our choice of direction in any discussion. Our 'emotional need' for such and such to be the case. Emotions channel our values. We will, on occasion fight and die to protect our values. Only with the greatest training do we ever deny our emotions for the sake of rationality as you so brilliantly outline The Titanic was unsinkable - everyone had this emotional need to believe that Wall St - that other Titanic - got a similar 'sinking feeling' recently because they blustered along in a uniform direction The dollar's value is actually based on 'faith' not something real, like gold People do strange or irrational things because of emotional 'needs' A bunch of people here in Sydney turned up week in week out on a daily basis to a view a fence-post. They arrived first in small groups, then a kind of a tourist bonanza took hold. Somebody had seen the likeness of the Virgin Mary in a configuration of wooden beams which when viewed from a certain angle has this effect (particularly if you are a Catholic it seems) Statues weep blood - walls have been seen to cry tears Love this next bit: >> >> Some of the toxic memes today stem from the evolutionary >> development of "us vs. other" that was birthed back when we lived >> in small, >> tribal groups. At that time, prejudice and discrimination were >> adaptive, >> because protection of one's own tribe was of great importance when >> grappling >> over limited resources with other groups. Nowadays, these emotions >> and >> approaches have a negative effect. Prejudice and discrimination >> are most >> commonly directed at members of one's own group (other citizens of >> the same >> city or country). It's very difficult to modify that kind of >> behavior >> because it stems from a natural and largely innate source. > Anna So, Anna - is the mind the victim of the brain or is the brain the victim of the mind? Surely it's both. It's kind of weird Kim --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To post to this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
