[MD] Intellectual and Social

[John Carl]

Krimel,

On Wed, Jan 6, 2010 at 8:51 AM, Krimel <Krimel at krimel.com> wrote:


> As for the idea that emotions require self awareness, I think not. The
> issue
> of self awareness is usually decided by the Mirror test. Most animals
> regard
> their mirror images as some other animal but humans, most apes and
> elephants
> apparently, recognize _themselves_ in mirrors. This is an ability that
> human
> acquire during the first year or so of life. The French psychoanalyst
> Jacque
> Lacan makes a huge deal out of this.
>

Good for him, I wouldn't make a huge deal out of it.  Some of my kids and
some of my kittens have been fascinated with mirrors, others haven't.

I thought the issue of self awareness was the Turing test?  a goal which we
come closer to all the time as humans get more and more machine-like in
their programmed milieu.

I fail to see how one can have any emotion without a sense of self.  I mean,
what would that even look like?  And if a creature lost all caring about
themselves, they would come to seem like an inanimate object, a cog, a
non-entity.

But hey, if it appeals that much to you, have fun with it.

John