Re: Emotions "vestigial"? was Re: On being Extropian

Natasha V. More (flexeon@primenet.com)
Sun, 20 Oct 1996 19:04:02 -0700 (MST)


At 10:30 AM 10/20/96 -0600, Ira Brodsky wrote:

>I think what you are really saying is that, contrary to Bertrand Russell,
>emotions can be a good thing *if* they are tamed by reason and
>understanding.

Perhaps what we are after is a sensibility towards _refined emotions_.

Refined emotions are developed through exercising careful thinking. Some
tools to help achieve a level of _refined emotions_, at our current
transhuman stage, are achieved by acquiring the ability to replay situations
accurately, monitor information input, simulation of information, obtaining
feedback from others and utilizing error-correctoring. These are mental
exercises.

Rather than putting a chain on or caging our emotions, we might think of
exercising the management of emotions.