[MD] Emotions

[John Carl]

On Mon, Nov 2, 2009 at 10:25 AM, Steven Peterson
<peterson.steve at gmail.com>wrote:

> Hi John,
>
> > And I still disagree vehemently  that emotions are biological.
>
> I assume if you don't see emotions as biological that you then see
> them as social.



100%



> I see emotions as the "carbon atom" of the social
> level.



The building blocks then of larger social patterns.  For instance, a
football stadium full of cheering people is a pattern of emotional responses
- it is in fact, a congregation of individuals seeking a vast emotional
congruence.  Same with church.  Same with rock concerts.  Same with crowded
bars on a saturday night, same with board meetings.   Humans seek an
emotional (and when I say "emotion" I mean the same sort of caring that
Pirsig describes as "the only test of the rotisserie") congruence with other
that IS the social layer of existence.  Emotions ARE the basis of society
much as carbon is the basis of the cell.



> While carbon is inorganic it the root of the biological level.
> Emotions are similarly themselves biological,



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.

:)





> but it is emotions that
> provide the groundwork for selection based on social quality. Without
> emotions there could be no social status, celebrity, honor, etc.,
> but emotions themselves are part of a mammal's biological response to
> its environment.
>
>

 you and I agree completely.

Warm fuzzy feeling John





> Best,
> Steve
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