Philosophy Stack Exchange
Philosophy Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [emotions]

68 questions
14
votes
6 answers

How can a person truly love another if hard determinism is true?

I have a wife and two kids. According to hard determinism, I was determined since time began moving forward to marry my wife and have my children. Every moment we share together was also predetermined, and my affection for them is a chemical…
Cannabijoy
  • 754
  • 7
  • 20
11
votes
8 answers

Is the simulation of emotional states equivalent to actually experiencing emotions?

According to the 'Mario Lives!' video, researchers have been able to develop an AI unit that is able to experience emotional states, such as greed, hunger, and curiosity. If the AI is currently experiencing an emotion, it will engage in certain…
Left SE On 10_6_19
  • 374
  • 1
  • 9
8
votes
4 answers

Can happiness be purely a state of mind?

Are there any mainstream philosophers (I assume it is meaningful to define such a subset of philosophers!) who argue that happiness can be a self-induced frame of mind? To put the question another way, can a state of happiness be attained by…
Marco Ocram
  • 8,686
  • 1
  • 8
  • 28
8
votes
3 answers

What are some good books on anger in philosophy?

I'm sure that there is a philosopher that tells about anger, but I don't know his/her name. Could you help me? I'm studying about the anger in many cultural fields: arts, history, religion. Now I am interested in anger in philosophy. What would you…
sunrise
  • 183
  • 4
8
votes
3 answers

Can human consciousness be "felt" without complex emotions?

Can human consciousness be "felt" without complex emotions such as love, sorrow, anger, empathy ? If so, what would it be like ?
M.K
  • 83
  • 5
7
votes
7 answers

What ethical studies have been performed on what would happen if a government raises kids without parents?

This is a thought experiment that deals with morality and ethics: Due to low natality governments decide to create schools in which kids are raised by professional caregivers and people trained to do so instead of parents. Those kids could be…
user22051
7
votes
8 answers

Is reductionism in conflict with our sense of awe and wonder?

To accuse science of robbing life of the warmth that makes it worth living is so preposterously mistaken, so diametrically opposite to my own feelings and those of most working scientists, I am almost driven to the despair of which I am wrongly…
viuser
  • 4,505
  • 1
  • 15
  • 49
6
votes
6 answers

Is thinking algorithmic?

I'm wondering about the fundamental differences between human thinking and computer thinking. Is it wise to consider all human thinking in terms of algorithms?
Remi.b
  • 1,073
  • 2
  • 10
  • 15
6
votes
9 answers

Does enlightenment mean loss of all emotions?

In Hinduism, it is believed that any being which is free from pain and suffering and happiness attains enlightenment. A mechanical robot created in the image of man is capable of doing everything a man does physically. I have been wondering about…
Ajinkya
  • 169
  • 3
5
votes
6 answers

Do humans make decisions based on logic or emotions?

I often hear that we are emotional beings, that we make decisions based on our feelings, mood and emotions. These decisions may not be logical and serve us best. On the other hand some argue that we humans are logical beings, use logic and science…
picolo
  • 167
  • 1
  • 5
4
votes
4 answers

For a political ruler is it better to be loved or feared?

Let's suppose the title question applies especially (but not exclusively) in the context of a leadership role (where the goal is to sustain power) and for simplicity let's say the choice is strictly binary. What advantages and disadvantages does…
useranonis
  • 275
  • 2
  • 7
4
votes
3 answers

If determinism is true, are emotions like pride, guilt, and remorse illusory?

Assuming determinism, does this imply that feelings of pride, guilt and remorse are illusions? If we are not truly responsible for our actions, as determinism implies, how can we feel pride in our accomplishments or regret our mistakes?
Zane Scheepers
  • 589
  • 4
  • 17
4
votes
1 answer

Is there a unison in the interpretation of primary emotions?

Is there a unison in the interpretation of primary emotions? Is the expression of primary emotions like happiness, sadness, shock, excitement, culturally uniform? The body language and facial expression that follow emotions, are they uniform in all…
Selena Carlos
  • 451
  • 3
  • 10
4
votes
5 answers

How reliable are our emotions for attaining knowledge?

I was thinking about the topic of emotions, and their reliability in different areas of study(science, history, math etc.). The question I have is: Can we know when our emotions are credible in the pursuit of knowledge? For example, pseudoscience is…
Adi
  • 179
  • 1
  • 2
  • 4
4
votes
5 answers

Is it “irrational” for your emotions to not cohere with evidence?

Let’s use fear as an example and negative events as events that may cause that fear. Should fear, if you feel it, and the intensity of it correlate with how strongly likely an event is? For example, if you were to drive a car at 110 miles per hour,…
thinkingman
  • 6,354
  • 19
  • 53
1
2 3 4 5