Posted by Estella on May 19, 2006, at 7:16:05
In reply to Re: three factors of emotion pulled apart » madeline, posted by Estella on May 18, 2006, at 21:30:43
at the risk of going completely nuts...
- if A reliably causes B then B carries information about A (because the probability of A given B is higher than the probability of A given not B all else being equal)
(here we can say that B 'registers' A)
if we add the following two conditions as well...
- if there is the possibility of B and not A (the capacity for error)
and
- if the function of B is to register A (because of some selectional advantage is conferred)
then we can say that B 'represents' A.
(that is Dretske's theory of psychosemantics - which is to say a theory of how mental states (B) can represent something outside of themselves such as dogs (A)
one theory is that
emotions register bodily state changes.
emotions register core relational themes (Relations that Matter - such as the property of being a threat, a loss, a demeaning offence etc)
moreover they represent core relational themes because there is a selectional advantage conferred on organisms that can track core relational themes.consider the concept of a dog.
we track dogs by having a concept with a cluster of features like 'four legs' and 'furry' and 'wagging tail' and 'panting tongue' etc. none of those features are necessary and sufficient for being a dog... but those features are reliably caused by...
dogs. where what is essential to being a dog is that it is an organism that if from a particular clade (ie that it has ancestors of a particular biological kind) sorry... can't be more specific with the biology / clade stuff...
the concept DOG
registers (or tracks) the superficial features (or the nominal essence).
it also...
registers (or tracks) the deeper property (the real essence) that is fixed by biology.the analogy is supposed to be...
that emotions register bodily changes
and emotions represent core relational themes
and emotions track core relational themes (the real essence)
by tracking the patterns of bodily change (the nominal essence)not sure whether that is coherant...
but it is one theory anyhoo...
emotions are the experience (phenomenology) of certain kinds of brain states (or states that play the brain state role) that register bodily changes (when all goes well) where the bodily changes represent core relational themes (when all goes well)
and sometimes all does not go well...
poster:Estella
thread:645293
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20060513/msgs/645817.html