Comments on: Six Base Emotions http://soniarott.wordpress.com/2007/03/21/six-base-emotions/ since we no longer have a forum Thu, 21 Jun 2007 12:56:54 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: notquitethere http://soniarott.wordpress.com/2007/03/21/six-base-emotions/#comment-1427 notquitethere Tue, 27 Mar 2007 18:01:17 +0000 http://soniarott.wordpress.com/2007/03/21/six-base-emotions/#comment-1427 Perhaps you might have something there, Omni. Oh, Caveo, I wasn't suggesting that babies don't have emotions and I'm all in favour for allowing all sorts of animals emotions, I was merely assuming that a baby will have simplified emotions, and not experience the rich emotional life of, say, a twenty-nine year old profesional dune buggy instructor who likes to rehabilitate injured turtles in her spare time. Perhaps you might have something there, Omni. Oh, Caveo, I wasn’t suggesting that babies don’t have emotions and I’m all in favour for allowing all sorts of animals emotions, I was merely assuming that a baby will have simplified emotions, and not experience the rich emotional life of, say, a twenty-nine year old profesional dune buggy instructor who likes to rehabilitate injured turtles in her spare time.

]]> By: omni http://soniarott.wordpress.com/2007/03/21/six-base-emotions/#comment-1426 omni Tue, 27 Mar 2007 17:59:32 +0000 http://soniarott.wordpress.com/2007/03/21/six-base-emotions/#comment-1426 My view on this, based on nothing but my own analysis, is that emotion is a biological tool to steer us towards desirable outcomes, such as having a secure place in a tribe and having a mate, and away from dangers, in the same way that our nerves steer our actions by giving us good feelings (mating is enjoyable-keep doing it) and bad ones (it hurts when the lion bites us-run away); therefore, our base emotions are "feel good" and "feel bad," with all the different emotions we give names to just being flavors, intensities, or even mixtures of good and bad feelings, all with the intention of keeping us safe and helping us navigate the social waters of our "pack." :D My view on this, based on nothing but my own analysis, is that emotion is a biological tool to steer us towards desirable outcomes, such as having a secure place in a tribe and having a mate, and away from dangers, in the same way that our nerves steer our actions by giving us good feelings (mating is enjoyable-keep doing it) and bad ones (it hurts when the lion bites us-run away); therefore, our base emotions are “feel good” and “feel bad,” with all the different emotions we give names to just being flavors, intensities, or even mixtures of good and bad feelings, all with the intention of keeping us safe and helping us navigate the social waters of our “pack.” :D

]]> By: milleniam http://soniarott.wordpress.com/2007/03/21/six-base-emotions/#comment-1424 milleniam Tue, 27 Mar 2007 17:57:47 +0000 http://soniarott.wordpress.com/2007/03/21/six-base-emotions/#comment-1424 notquitethere wrote: I've heard the psychological theory that all emotions stem from six base emotions. Any thoughts? I don't agree with this idea at all. I think that emotions are each uniquely and separately provided for. (Much in the same way that we have unique receptors for each smell that we can detect.) However - whether you agree with this or not - one thing that any theory of emotion must provide for, is that the range of emotions available to us is fixed and limited. Unlike thoughts - which are unlimited in their range and scope - no one can come up with a brand new, hitherto unexperienced emotion. Why should that be? notquitethere wrote:
I’ve heard the psychological theory that all emotions stem from six base emotions. Any thoughts?

I don’t agree with this idea at all. I think that emotions are each uniquely and separately provided for. (Much in the same way that we have unique receptors for each smell that we can detect.)

However – whether you agree with this or not – one thing that any theory of emotion must provide for, is that the range of emotions available to us is fixed and limited. Unlike thoughts – which are unlimited in their range and scope – no one can come up with a brand new, hitherto unexperienced emotion. Why should that be?

]]> By: caveo http://soniarott.wordpress.com/2007/03/21/six-base-emotions/#comment-1423 caveo Tue, 27 Mar 2007 17:56:23 +0000 http://soniarott.wordpress.com/2007/03/21/six-base-emotions/#comment-1423 shame is not a base emotion. And of course babies have emotions! By golly, I'll send anyone who doesn't believe me to take a turn babysitting my two neighbor kids! ;) Even animals have emotions! Ah, and fear is partially learnt and partially base. A baby fears many things, if the mother goes away for instance. Or a baby will also fear certain people it doesn't like. Perhaps out of instinkt, but emotions are connected to instinkt. shame is not a base emotion.
And of course babies have emotions! By golly, I’ll send anyone who doesn’t believe me to take a turn babysitting my two neighbor kids! ;)
Even animals have emotions!
Ah, and fear is partially learnt and partially base. A baby fears many things, if the mother goes away for instance. Or a baby will also fear certain people it doesn’t like. Perhaps out of instinkt, but emotions are connected to instinkt.

]]> By: notquitethere http://soniarott.wordpress.com/2007/03/21/six-base-emotions/#comment-1422 notquitethere Tue, 27 Mar 2007 17:55:01 +0000 http://soniarott.wordpress.com/2007/03/21/six-base-emotions/#comment-1422 What about shame. A baby cannot feel shame as shame is a socially enforced thing and must be learnt. What about shame. A baby cannot feel shame as shame is a socially enforced thing and must be learnt.

]]> By: ghaleon http://soniarott.wordpress.com/2007/03/21/six-base-emotions/#comment-1421 ghaleon Tue, 27 Mar 2007 17:49:24 +0000 http://soniarott.wordpress.com/2007/03/21/six-base-emotions/#comment-1421 On a different note, someone suggested to me that fear was not a base emotion, but instead must be learnt. I'm not sure about that one. I LIKE it! To a certain extent fear might have to be learnt. One has to understand the reason why something should be avoided in order to actively avoid it. One may not at first sight, for example, fear a beaker of sulfuric acid. But upon learning about its corrosive effects, one learns to fear it. Of course you could just as easily say that fear as an emotion is always present, but that only its object changes over time. While at a very young age we might fear the staircase in our house, as we grow older our fears evolve into phobias of bigger objects and concepts, such as death. I suppose it's a psychological issue whether we can experience fear at all ages, but speaking from a broad, philosophical perspective, it seems like it would be advantageous for us to experience fear from the day we're born. It's part of applying what we know to the world at large in order to encourage our survival. On a different note, someone suggested to me that fear was not a base emotion, but instead must be learnt. I’m not sure about that one.

I LIKE it! To a certain extent fear might have to be learnt. One has to understand the reason why something should be avoided in order to actively avoid it. One may not at first sight, for example, fear a beaker of sulfuric acid. But upon learning about its corrosive effects, one learns to fear it.

Of course you could just as easily say that fear as an emotion is always present, but that only its object changes over time. While at a very young age we might fear the staircase in our house, as we grow older our fears evolve into phobias of bigger objects and concepts, such as death. I suppose it’s a psychological issue whether we can experience fear at all ages, but speaking from a broad, philosophical perspective, it seems like it would be advantageous for us to experience fear from the day we’re born. It’s part of applying what we know to the world at large in order to encourage our survival.

]]> By: russell http://soniarott.wordpress.com/2007/03/21/six-base-emotions/#comment-1420 russell Tue, 27 Mar 2007 17:46:24 +0000 http://soniarott.wordpress.com/2007/03/21/six-base-emotions/#comment-1420 Yes, babies do seem to experience joy from looking at aesthetically pleasing objects. Yes, babies do seem to experience joy from looking at aesthetically pleasing objects.

]]> By: notquitethere http://soniarott.wordpress.com/2007/03/21/six-base-emotions/#comment-1419 notquitethere Tue, 27 Mar 2007 17:45:22 +0000 http://soniarott.wordpress.com/2007/03/21/six-base-emotions/#comment-1419 Okay. Granted. Perhaps a better example would be schadenfreuder- taking grim delight in the misfortune of others. Okay, so a baby might laugh when an adult slips on a misplaced set of marbles, but that's hardly the same thing... Okay. Granted. Perhaps a better example would be schadenfreuder- taking grim delight in the misfortune of others. Okay, so a baby might laugh when an adult slips on a misplaced set of marbles, but that’s hardly the same thing…

]]> By: Heathen http://soniarott.wordpress.com/2007/03/21/six-base-emotions/#comment-1418 Heathen Tue, 27 Mar 2007 17:44:49 +0000 http://soniarott.wordpress.com/2007/03/21/six-base-emotions/#comment-1418 notquitethere wrote: Does a baby feel mild aesthetic joy when viewing a piece of art? Seems unlikely to me. Not when viewing a painting, when viewing anything. Choosing the object, in this case something fitting adult tastes, does not disprove the emotion. Further, is aesthetic joy an emotion or does the adjective aesthetic actually modify the source of the person's pleasure, rather than being a specific kind of emotion, that is. But I have seen babies take great pleasure in seeing objects and because of these objects visual qualities. Things that shine, move and are bright seem to bring aesthetic joy to them. notquitethere wrote:
Does a baby feel mild aesthetic joy when viewing a piece of art? Seems unlikely to me.

Not when viewing a painting, when viewing anything. Choosing the object, in this case something fitting adult tastes, does not disprove the emotion.

Further, is aesthetic joy an emotion or does the adjective aesthetic actually modify the source of the person’s pleasure, rather than being a specific kind of emotion, that is.

But I have seen babies take great pleasure in seeing objects and because of these objects visual qualities. Things that shine, move and are bright seem to bring aesthetic joy to them.

]]> By: Heathen http://soniarott.wordpress.com/2007/03/21/six-base-emotions/#comment-1417 Heathen Tue, 27 Mar 2007 17:42:08 +0000 http://soniarott.wordpress.com/2007/03/21/six-base-emotions/#comment-1417 rabeldin wrote: Just to get things heated up: All emotions are base! :) Just to reframe to make them sound more positive: All emotions are THE base. rabeldin wrote:
Just to get things heated up:
All emotions are base! :)

Just to reframe to make them sound more positive:
All emotions are THE base.

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