Would we be better of without EMOTIONS?

[Lote-Tree]

Do you think without emotions life would simpler for us humans?

What say you?

Regards,
Lote

[Turk]

Beauties of life comes from emotions. Without emotions we would be walking dead, which is why i dislike people with low sensivity and blind emotions. A man without emotions is not even a human for me.

[kathycf]

Now I am going to be pickyune, Lote.

Why is "simpler" equated with "better"?

You title the thread asking the question would we be better off without emotions, but then ask if life would be simpler without them.

Simplicity may be superior in some contexts, while complexity may be superior in others. Would life be simpler without emotions? Perhaps...although that would be a tough question to answer in general terms...considering that emotions impact people in different ways and there are a couple of billion people roaming around the planet...tough to speak for all them.

Would life be better? I don't think so..and again, tough question based on what I just wrote above. For my own life, it would of course be much easier to be an emotionless automaton, but life would seem to lack quite a bit of richness, complexity and joy. Kinda boring....Of course if I was an emotionless automaton, I suppose I wouldn't care because those terms "richness" and "joy" would be meaningless to me.

[Demona]

kathycf, right in the nose

It certainly would be simpler, but would you call it a life at all then? Unfortunately, I happen to be acquainted with one or two people who just don't care about anything....nothing, nothing at all can stir their emotions, they don't need or want anything...or enjoy anything...that is a very pathetic sight. I certainly wouldn't like to experience that kind of emotionless existence.

[Durgamol]

i believe that the only thing that really distincts us from animals is capability of feeling, which means that without emotions we would no longer be humans

[Lote-Tree]

Beauties of life comes from emotions.

Trees seems to have quite a beautiful existence without emotions.

You title the thread asking the question would we be better off without emotions, but then ask if life would be simpler without them.

Better and Simpler in this context are the same thing Kathy. I should have used the same word to be consistent.

Would life be simpler without emotions? Perhaps...although that would be a tough question to answer in general terms...considering that emotions impact people in different ways and there are a couple of billion people roaming around the planet...tough to speak for all them.

There would be no wars? hate anger jelousy. We would all be logical and world would be such a peaceful place with billiosn of people.

kathycf, right in the nose

It certainly would be simpler, but would you call it a life at all then?

Without feeling life still goes on?

Unfortunately, I happen to be acquainted with one or two people who just don't care about anything....nothing, nothing at all can stir their emotions, they don't need or want anything...or enjoy anything...that is a very pathetic sight.

It would not have to be like this though. We can be perfectly logical and live that way. Without emotions getting in the way - words such as caring would not come into play.

I certainly wouldn't like to experience that kind of emotionless existence.

Perhaps not. But think of the advantages? No hate or jelousy, Anger. No more pain etc...

i believe that the only thing that really distincts us from animals is capability of feeling, which means that without emotions we would no longer be humans

Perhaps. But we can make descisions without any emotions involved. We can still live as humans.

[Durgamol]

Perhaps. But we can make descisions without any emotions involved. We can still live as humans.

i don't have any argument for this one. It is true. But making decisions without feelings would make us similar to machines....

[Lote-Tree]

i don't have any argument for this one. It is true. But making decisions without feelings would make us similar to machines....

But Durgamol we are indeed machines. Biological Machines. At the level of DNA this machinary is Digital :-)

[Turk]

Trees seems to have quite a beautiful existence without emotions.

Sense of beauty and estetic is directly connected to emotions.

[SleepyWitch]

and since when have trees been aware of their own existence?
well, maybe they are ... for all we know, they might actually be...

ok... if we based our decisions on logic alone, wouldn't our decisions still be aimed at reaching the maximum good/ convenience for ourselves and/or others?
how could we judge the results of our actions without emotions?

e.g. if i wanted to buy a new bike and there was a choice between a cheap low-quality bike and an expensive high-quality one...
if I picked the cheap one, the advantage would be that I'd spend less money.
if I pick the expensive one, the advantage is it will last longer and be better quality.
in other words, if I pick the cheap one, my *ss will hurt but if I pick the expensive one, my wallet will hurt

at first glance, this is a purely "economic" decision. but can/do these decisions really take place in a vacuum?

but how does the individual register these (dis-)advantages without there being emotions involved? in either case, I will be either grumpy because of the disadvantages or happy because of the advantages.

or would those considerations be called "self-interest" or something, as distinct from emotions

[kandaurov]

Trees seems to have quite a beautiful existence without emotions.

Sense of beauty and estetic is directly connected to emotions.

I'm with Turk on this one. The trees only seem to have a beautiful existence because we perceive beauty through our senses. Beauty is much like an emotion: it requires a well-developed brain to perceive it. If there were no emotions we wouldn't think them beautiful. In fact, there would be no beauty at all.

Lote, as for the original question, I do agree with you, life would be simpler. We would be like birds. But, as Big K "spot-on"ly pointed out, the question of whether it would be better if we were birds, even though we couldn't be conscious of our own selves, let alone have complex emotions, is one for the ages

[Pensive]

Do you think without emotions life would simpler for us humans?

What say you?

Regards,
Lote

Have you read Dream of a Ridiculous Man by Dostoevsky? Because when I read it, the same question occured in my mind...

[Lote-Tree]

Have you read Dream of a Ridiculous Man by Dostoevsky? Because when I read it, the same question occured in my mind...

No. I must read it now though :-)

[Pensive]

No. I must read it now though :-)

It might not have a direct connection with your question, but it's a fine read.

[motherhubbard]

I think that Brave New World deals with this. In order to maintain a perfect society they did away with any strong emotion, like the love between husband and wife, or mother and child because these can both cause sorrow. They took away any kind of real intimacy with everyone belongs to everyone. They used state sanctioned drugs to numb the emotions that conditioning couldn’t control, A gram is better than a damn. But to make this work they had to retard the majority of the population so that they did not have the ability to think or ask about their existence.

I don’t think things would be simpler. When a person is younger it would be simpler if emotions did not run so hot and cold. That’s a rough time, but it levels out. In maturity emotion serves a lovely function because it is tempered in understanding. Life would not be simpler without emotion once that level has been reached.