This is a question worthy of a place on the philosophical mantlepiece next to "What is the meaning of life?". I have been sitting here for about a half an hour trying to come up with a definition; I keep picturing the emotions of anger, sadness, joy, or disgust but it is extremely difficult to quantify. As cheesy as it sounds, I believe there are two types of emotion; one is an immediate reaction to a stimulus that requires an instinctive, almost survival-type response. For example, when someone feels fearful, it usually means that they are in a position that they deem harmful and dangerous to themselves. If they fear disgust, it could similarly mean that they are in a position they deem unsafe, unsanitary, or dangerous to them. The other type of emotion is something that I cannot better describe than it being one's soul, if one chooses to believe we have souls, reacting as a means to rid the body of reactions to stimuli that if not let out, might be harmful to the body and mind. Sorrow, for example, can be a reaction to something tragic that has happened in our lives, a death in the family for instance. I believe the outpouring of grief is the soul's way of releasing the stress of such an unfortunate occurrence so that the body does not retain it. In this way the person is able to avoid prolonged distress that has detrimental effects on the body and mind. This might be applicable to positive emotion as well; when we see someone, a close friend or family member, for the first time after a long period of time, we experience joy. Is it possible that happiness is detrimental to the body and mind? I hope not, but one may see it as the body must return to an equilibrium, an emotional neutrality. Experiencing joy is one way to return the body to the "status quo". Is emotion this scientific and biological? I don't believe that it is. For all I know this is completely off the mark, but again, it is nearly impossible for me to express in words what emotion means to me. The quality about emotion that amazes me and truly lets me appreciate my humanity is that it escapes definition.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
What is Emotion?
This is a question worthy of a place on the philosophical mantlepiece next to "What is the meaning of life?". I have been sitting here for about a half an hour trying to come up with a definition; I keep picturing the emotions of anger, sadness, joy, or disgust but it is extremely difficult to quantify. As cheesy as it sounds, I believe there are two types of emotion; one is an immediate reaction to a stimulus that requires an instinctive, almost survival-type response. For example, when someone feels fearful, it usually means that they are in a position that they deem harmful and dangerous to themselves. If they fear disgust, it could similarly mean that they are in a position they deem unsafe, unsanitary, or dangerous to them. The other type of emotion is something that I cannot better describe than it being one's soul, if one chooses to believe we have souls, reacting as a means to rid the body of reactions to stimuli that if not let out, might be harmful to the body and mind. Sorrow, for example, can be a reaction to something tragic that has happened in our lives, a death in the family for instance. I believe the outpouring of grief is the soul's way of releasing the stress of such an unfortunate occurrence so that the body does not retain it. In this way the person is able to avoid prolonged distress that has detrimental effects on the body and mind. This might be applicable to positive emotion as well; when we see someone, a close friend or family member, for the first time after a long period of time, we experience joy. Is it possible that happiness is detrimental to the body and mind? I hope not, but one may see it as the body must return to an equilibrium, an emotional neutrality. Experiencing joy is one way to return the body to the "status quo". Is emotion this scientific and biological? I don't believe that it is. For all I know this is completely off the mark, but again, it is nearly impossible for me to express in words what emotion means to me. The quality about emotion that amazes me and truly lets me appreciate my humanity is that it escapes definition.
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