Re: [xmca] Inappropriate affect

[Jay Lemke <jaylemke@umich.edu>]

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>
>
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> 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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