my affection for the quote derives from a metaphorical reading, not a literal one. Something akin to Steve's differential rates of evolution. I also would have eschewed 'god like' in favor of 'magical' ala Clarke's dictum about any sufficiently advanced technology.
davew On Fri, Oct 4, 2024, at 8:46 PM, Nicholas Thompson wrote: > I think that this way of talking about emotions precludes careful thought. > First of all, neurologizing emotions is just to hide the pea under the wrong > thimble. I don't think paleolithologizig helps much more. Glen is correct > that, whatever an emotion is, its inputs and outputs are ontogenetically and > culturally determined. So, fear, for instance, is a relation between > something that we take to be threatening and something that we hope will be > avoidance. Inputs and outputs are everything. The rest is just arousal. > > N > > On Fri, Oct 4, 2024 at 7:01 PM steve smith <sasm...@swcp.com> wrote: >> Emotions/Limbic systems evolve at genetic rates, institutions evolve at >> social/cultural rates (maybe the fastest significant change can >> happen/resolve is in multiple lifetimes?) but technology is advancing at >> must faster rates? >> >> Or is this wrong(headed) also? >> >> On 10/4/24 3:43 PM, glen wrote: >> > None of that is true, however romantic it might sound. Depending on >> > how one defines "emotion", that smells the most true. But the >> > mechanisms of emotion are as coupled to current reality as is every >> > part of our bodies. To suggest that, say, the Space Force or methods >> > like quantitative easing are medieval is just nonsense. Technology is >> > more democratized than it has ever been. Granted, it takes (a lot) of >> > work to familiarize oneself with something like how GPS works or how >> > to NOT click on that phishing email. But to suggest that it's >> > "godlike" says more about the person than it does about the state of >> > technology. >> > >> > On 10/4/24 11:16, Prof David West wrote: >> >> /"The real problem of humanity is the following: we have Paleolithic >> >> emotions, medieval institutions, and godlike technology. And it is >> >> terrifically dangerous."/ Edward O. Wilson. >> >> >> > >> > >> >> -. --- - / ...- .- .-.. .. -.. / -- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. . >> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv >> Fridays 9a-12p Friday St. Johns Cafe / Thursdays 9a-12p Zoom >> https://bit.ly/virtualfriam >> to (un)subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com >> FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ >> archives: 5/2017 thru present >> https://redfish.com/pipermail/friam_redfish.com/ >> 1/2003 thru 6/2021 http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/ > > > -- > Nicholas S. Thompson > Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Ethology > Clark University > nthomp...@clarku.edu > https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson > -. --- - / ...- .- .-.. .. -.. / -- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. . > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Fridays 9a-12p Friday St. Johns Cafe / Thursdays 9a-12p Zoom > https://bit.ly/virtualfriam > to (un)subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ > archives: 5/2017 thru present > https://redfish.com/pipermail/friam_redfish.com/ > 1/2003 thru 6/2021 http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/ >
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