> Wonder is more of a feeling though - don't need wonder as a survival > mechanism
I can imagine wonder having survival value for highly evolved organisms like the homo sapiens. It is the driving force behind great scientists and engineers. It's an emotion that drive us to want to decode reality. The knowledge gathered in this process allows us, for example, to build better tools. I believe there's an interplay between biological and social evolution (the Baldwin effect). As society becomes more and more complex, new emotions evolve to guide the adaption of its individuals. > Artists love to 'intellectualise' about their inner qualia. They have > distinctions others find forced or artificial > > that's fine Sure it is. I'm like that myself :) > Somebody suggest a better word than 'feeling' for what I am describing > - I think we all know what emotions are My suggestion is: thoughts. I'd say one of the main characteristics of the brain is its ability to anticipate future states. We seek future states with more positive emotions. As we learn about the environment, we develop brain mechanisms that guide us away from negative emotions of towards positive emotions without the need for further emotional responses. I see artists as mind hackers. They are able to "push buttons" in our minds without the need for specific scientific knowledge about the underlying mechanisms. Surrealists, for example, amaze me, because they are able to evoke emotions that I didn't even know existed. And then there's the big white elephant in the room: consciousness. I don't know what it is and I don't believe it somehow "emerges" from brain function. I do believe this mystery to be an indication that some very fundamental insights are still missing in our model of reality. Maybe one day some new Einstein will come up with a great insight and our current paradigm will be replaced, making all these discussions seem rather naive. Telmo Menezes. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ 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 -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
