Quote:
Originally Posted by sixxx(sic)six  "How can you 'desire' a beer without having one and developed a feeling about it?"
Think back to the first time you had a beer. Why did you drink it? Was it a desire to quench your thirst? Probably not. Was it a desire to quench your desire for a beer? Perhaps. Did you desire to try this beer because of peer pressure, or curiousity, or because of some manner left known to you?
For whatever reason, you're desire for a beer now is because you desire a beer! At some point in time, it's also a desire to quench your thirst. But that first beer, it was a desire brought forth by some other reason. Desire is the root of all action. Why you desire THIS or THAT is because of your knowledge of THIS or THAT...but remember, at one point in time you were ignorant of THIS or THAT. So, at some point in time you desired to be knowledgable of THIS or THAT.
I strongly recomend that book I suggested. And, the philosopher I studied with wrote a book concerning desire. William Irvine Philosophy of Desire.
But, for what reason do you argue that emotions are as old as life itself? This isn't true. There are more species on Earth without any emotional context whatsoever (yet, the ability to desire can still be present) than there are with emotional contexts. |
Sixx your example includes pre convcieved knowledge, Before I ever had a beer I had some preconcieved notion of what a beer is what to expect from drinking it, as such my desire to try it came from those preconceptions. Your argument here I think would be it was your desire to know what it is so even knowing nothing about it I still might try it to fulfill my curosity, so what about trial and error? not all species have the abailty to cognitivly understand curioisty they are simply programed to explore the world through trial and error, this too could be argued as being desire but its based on a reward system, I new baby is born it is programed to desire breast milk (through evolution) what if it wasnt programmed the baby would be hungry but it wouldnt understand hunger it wouldnt desire breast milk because it has no knowledge of breast milk at this point fear is born, the mother puts her breast in the babies mouth it gets breast milk its nolonger hungry and now when it gets hungry it both understands the problem and the solution thously desire is born. Now you will say the baby is afraid because it seeks the contentment it knew in the womb thusly is desires that contentment I would say isnt contement an emotion?
Emotions are instinctual respnses to stimuli and have been there since virtually the begining of life we just understand them and name them but there shared in some fashion with the lowest life forms (I dont think they need to be understood to be felt)