Objective take on emotion (Test 1)

Posted by Wonky 11 years, 3 months ago to Philosophy
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Premises:
1. Objectivism does not attempt to address or explain emotions
2. Emotions are generally considered to be subjective (supports 1)
3. Ayn Rand depicts emotions in her fiction, but does not attempt to explain them
4. Ayn Rand's looters and producers both have emotions

Propositions:
1. Emotions have value
2. Emotions arise from perceptual reality
3. Emotions can be objectively explained
4. Objectivism can be expanded to explain emotions

Anything wrong with the premises?

Would anyone enjoy contributing to a post that attempted to prove the propositions?


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  • Posted by khalling 11 years, 3 months ago
    "Just as the pleasure-pain mechanism of man’s body is an automatic indicator of his body’s welfare or injury, a barometer of its basic alternative, life or death—so the emotional mechanism of man’s consciousness is geared to perform the same function, as a barometer that registers the same alternative by means of two basic emotions: joy or suffering. Emotions are the automatic results of man’s value judgments integrated by his subconscious; emotions are estimates of that which furthers man’s values or threatens them, that which is for him or against him—lightning calculators giving him the sum of his profit or loss.

    But while the standard of value operating the physical pleasure-pain mechanism of man’s body is automatic and innate, determined by the nature of his body—the standard of value operating his emotional mechanism, is not. Since man has no automatic knowledge, he can have no automatic values; since he has no innate ideas, he can have no innate value judgments.

    Man is born with an emotional mechanism, just as he is born with a cognitive mechanism; but, at birth, both are “tabula rasa.” It is man’s cognitive faculty, his mind, that determines the content of both. Man’s emotional mechanism is like an electronic computer, which his mind has to program—and the programming consists of the values his mind chooses.

    But since the work of man’s mind is not automatic, his values, like all his premises, are the product either of his thinking or of his evasions: man chooses his values by a conscious process of thought—or accepts them by default, by subconscious associations, on faith, on someone’s authority, by some form of social osmosis or blind imitation. Emotions are produced by man’s premises, held consciously or subconsciously, explicitly or implicitly." Virtue of Selfishness," AR Lexicon

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    • Posted by 11 years, 3 months ago
      Most excellent! I did read the Virtue of Selfishness, but I missed this bit. I wish I could give you more points.

      I have much more to say on this, time permitting, but for now, please accept my gratitude for your contribution!
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  • Posted by Rozar 11 years, 3 months ago
    Nice post. I've read somewhere, I'm certain it was an objectivist article, starting that emotions are your bodies initial reaction to things. Used for making quick judgements on things that are good or bad. But you have to be able to analyze why and how your emotions came to be to make a conscious decision about whether they are right.
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