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Re: [xmca] Inappropriate affect



Actually, it might well be adaptive in evolutionary terms, David. Because our primary survival and reproduction environments have been our communities of fellow humans now for a very long time.

I don't know what nonhumans experience that would be functionally analogous to our emotions, but I'd be pretty sure there is something, and in the case of social species, I'd be surprised if there were not either shared, or at least joint, "emotional" experiences.

"Emotional intelligence" strikes me as by far the most useful survival and reproductive asset a human can have in a human community, now or ever. And just to make this point a little more obvious, think about applying it to women, the true gatekeepers of reproductive fitness, rather than to men.

JAY.


Jay Lemke
Professor (Adjunct, 2009-2010)
Educational Studies
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
www.umich.edu/~jaylemke

Visiting Scholar
Laboratory for Comparative Human Communication
University of California -- San Diego
La Jolla, CA
USA 92093






On Dec 8, 2009, at 2:22 PM, David H Kirshner wrote:

I dare say that culture developed as a result of shared emotional
experiences found beyond what other animals experience.

Isn't it much more likely the other way around--shared emotional
experiences are cultural inventions?
If not, we'd have to account for our unique emotional range as adaptive
in evolutionary terms.

David



-----Original Message-----
From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu [mailto:xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu]
On Behalf Of ERIC.RAMBERG@spps.org
Sent: Tuesday, December 08, 2009 6:33 AM
To: ablunden@mira.net; eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
Subject: [xmca] Inappropriate affect


Inappropriate affect is a clinical psychiatric term that refers to an
individual's response to emotion; examples are laughing at hearing about the death of a loved one, crying that someone ate the last piece of pie,
or
outrageous anger that a favorite TV show has been postponed because of a
weather report.  Culture does NOT mediate these individual responses.
People exhibit internal drives.  What is discussed when exploring the
meaning of emotions is aesthetics and not the actual emotions. Animals
are
not happy, they are content.  Humans experience true joy that is not
mediated by culture and it is what separates us from the animals.
Archeological evidence is revealing that Homo Sapiens and Neanderthals
existed at the same time; one succeeded due to a development of a
culture.
I dare say that culture developed as a result of shared emotional
experiences found beyond what other animals experience.  Humans are
extremely vulnerable and within this vulnerability they have found their
greatest strength!
eric

     To:	"eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity" <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
     cc:
     bcc:
     Subject:    Re: [xmca] Emotions and Culture
Andy Blunden <ablunden@mira.net>
Sent by: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu
12/08/2009 01:53 PM ZE11
Please respond to ablunden          <font size=-1></font>




















Yes, for Hegel when Spirit first manifests itself out of
Nature it is in the form of Feeling arising from a
Nature-given physical body. But really, this is just the
point where Hegel makes his biggest mistakes, he thinks the
human body emerges directly as a thing of Nature, rather
than being a product of culture.

Andy

ERIC.RAMBERG@spps.org wrote:
Andy; you and I have discussed much of CHAT and have come to
agreements
about a great deal concerning the definitions pertaining to CHAT but
when
it comes to true emotions you have yours and I have mine.  Hegel I
believe
spoke of them as the Spirit.
eric


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