[MD] Emotions

[Steven Peterson]

Hi John,

John:
> Steve, you stupid fucking idiot...
>
> Does your heart beat a little faster at those words?  Do you experience a
> modicum of emotional annoyance?  Perhaps.  Perhaps you got my point
> immediately before I could even make it, but if there was an emotional
> experience, it was certain devoid of any biological interaction or cause
> between you and me.  It arose from a social threat.  If I was your boss,
> writing those words, the social threat would  have increased your heartbeat,
> caused the blood to pound in your ears and make your eyes go all
> misty-cross-eyed.  Biological REACTION to a social cause.  The roots of
> emotional responses are social relations.  Period.  End of story.
>
> You're welcome.
>
> :)

Steve:
I agree that our response to social patterns is most apparent as
emotions, but so is our response to many biological patterns. Fear,
anger, and affection for siblings and children evolved biologically
for biologiocal benefit. Out of these evolved a whole new collection
of patterns that can't easily be reduced to the biological responses
of an organism to its environment, like NYC and those bastards that
just bought themselves a bunch of World Series rings.

Best,
Steve