On 24/10/2008, at 6:33 PM, Telmo Menezes wrote:

> I believe emotions are very basic things. Just strong, overriding,
> biological responses. I'm sure animals have them too.


Without doubt
animals are all 'on the make' - without emotions you cannot have any  
'leverage' over your kind



> How else would
> their brains develop to hunt, mate or whatever in a complex
> environment? The thing is, we humans also have the ability to
> intelectually analyze our own emotions. Given our higher cognitive
> capabilities, we feel wonder (another emotion) at the way our rational
> constructs are override sometimes.


Wonder is more of a feeling though - don't need wonder as a survival  
mechanism




>
>
> I'm not sure about the distinction between feeling and emotions. My
> mother tongue is portuguese. In portuguese, the equivalent phrase to
> "you hurt my feelings!" is "magoaste-me!", which translated directly
> to "you hurt me!". So the feeling part appears to be just a
> non-universal cultural interpretation.
>
> Cheers,
> Telmo Menezes.


Telmo,

you could be right - this whole thing buzzes with cultural associations


my distinction is a forced one to be sure;

it is the distinction of the aesthete or artist. It is useful to see a  
difference between simple feeling and powerful emotion if you are in  
the artistic expression game



Artists love to 'intellectualise' about their inner qualia. They have  
distinctions others find forced or artificial

that's fine

Imagine designing a fragrance for Dior - what kind of ruler do these  
people use

I'll bet it has increments on it you and I have never heard of

Artists explore this vast terrain of our Aspect One of emotions and  
feelings

Bach and Stravinsky give me feelings on the whole

Wagner gives me emotions


Why would you want to use a plebeian key like G Major for a theme as  
grand as this, Telmo? Swap it for A flat major which will give it more  
public-weight, more religiosity...

'aesthetic judgement' is what I am on about

Artists have a nose for it

It's artificiality is precisely it's survival value.

Give me more on why you think 'wonder' is an emotion and why I think  
it is a 'feeling'

Somebody suggest a better word than 'feeling' for what I am describing  
- I think we all know what emotions are

I feel this thread is becoming more interesting


Kim











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