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If evolution ran the world animals wouldn't have emotions
Or would they? I don't see how evolution is smart enough to come up with emotions like fear/laughter/anger/happiness/satisfaction. To create emotions evolution would have to say to itself, "what can i do to make something happy and how to feel that happiness?" (it takes a conscious something to think of and invent emotions i believe)and then go engineer it in the brain. I don't think of it as being such a necessary function to have anyways i mean wouldn't the job of reproduction still get accomplished if we were programmed like machines to do so? so I think that animals would just be emotionless robots if evolution were to run the show.
I guess I'm saying that there was some other higher power influences on the way, what do you think?
Or would they? I don't see how evolution is smart enough to come up with emotions like fear/laughter/anger/happiness/satisfaction. To create emotions evolution would have to say to itself, "what can i do to make something happy and how to feel that happiness?" (it takes a conscious something to think of and invent emotions i believe)and then go engineer it in the brain. I don't think of it as being such a necessary function to have anyways i mean wouldn't the job of reproduction still get accomplished if we were programmed like machines to do so? so I think that animals would just be emotionless robots if evolution were to run the show.
I guess I'm saying that there was some other higher power influences on the way, what do you think?
emotions are like a bonus given to us by God I think.
If talking about dogs or humans or any other animal it doesn't matter.
Or would they? I don't see how evolution is smart enough to come up with emotions like fear/laughter/anger/happiness/satisfaction. To create emotions evolution would have to say to itself, "what can i do to make something happy and how to feel that happiness?" (it takes a conscious something to think of and invent emotions i believe)and then go engineer it in the brain. I don't think of it as being such a necessary function to have anyways i mean wouldn't the job of reproduction still get accomplished if we were programmed like machines to do so? so I think that animals would just be emotionless robots if evolution were to run the show.
I guess I'm saying that there was some other higher power influences on the way, what do you think?
You keep trying to apply human logic to biological, physical and chemical processes.
Or would they? I don't see how evolution is smart enough to come up with emotions like fear/laughter/anger/happiness/satisfaction. To create emotions evolution would have to say to itself, "what can i do to make something happy and how to feel that happiness?" (it takes a conscious something to think of and invent emotions i believe)and then go engineer it in the brain. I don't think of it as being such a necessary function to have anyways i mean wouldn't the job of reproduction still get accomplished if we were programmed like machines to do so? so I think that animals would just be emotionless robots if evolution were to run the show.
I guess I'm saying that there was some other higher power influences on the way, what do you think?
The reason mammals have emotions has to do with the complexity of the mammalian brain. If you want an animal that is "programmed like a machine" then look no further than insects and other arthopods. They have simple brains that that basically run off of programming (instinct) and nothing more. All you need for this is a couple of fused nerve ganglia for a brain. They are very successful organisms in their ecological roles, but they are no where near as intelligent as mammals.
The question I have for you is this: Why did God give the same emotions to dogs and cats that he gave to Man?
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"If evolution ran the world animals wouldn't have emotions"
Originally Posted by lukeman
Or would they? I don't see how evolution is smart enough to come up with emotions like fear/laughter/anger/happiness/satisfaction.
Really?
Fear - an emotional response that increases an organism's tendency to fight-or-flight when it perceives a threat. Surely those with this compulsion are more likely to survive?
Laughter - quite possible this one helps social cohesion, and I'm wondering now if humour is observed in other species.
Anger - pretty sure this one is helpful - it can lead to a defence of one's tribe or to help one strike out against perceived injustices? Either way, both possibilities also lend themselves to social cohesion.
Happiness/satisfaction - stimulus-response, maybe? If something good happens to you then you tend to do it again?
To create emotions evolution would have to say to itself, "what can i do to make something happy and how to feel that happiness?" (it takes a conscious something to think of and invent emotions i believe)and then go engineer it in the brain.
Evolution is not conscious - if something, anything, arises via natural selection and as a result means there is an increased survival rate in the organism it arose in, then logically, it will persist in the environment. This applies to emotions just as it does to limb size, brain volume, etc.
I don't think of it as being such a necessary function to have anyways i mean wouldn't the job of reproduction still get accomplished if we were programmed like machines to do so?
You do realise that human mothers form strong emotional attachments via hormones produced during breast-feeding? Rearing is still a key part of the reproductive process as our young are incapable for a long while after birth - the young still need to survive?
No, emotions probably aren't the only way of doing it, but it certainly is a key part of the process NOW as it currently stands.
Also, I think there's a slight irony in your statement, in that to a large extent, emotions ARE programming. They're changes in brain chemistry triggered by external events.
so I think that animals would just be emotionless robots if evolution were to run the show.
Except emotions have a naturalistic basis and are thus presumably subject to natural selection etc, and seeing as some of the emotions you listed clearly promote significant survival advantages on some levels, so why should animals then be emotionless?
I guess I'm saying that there was some other higher power influences on the way, what do you think?
I think misrepresenting evolution and then claiming that this strawman doesn't come up to your standards allowing you to insert an a priori assumed higher power is a bad idea?
Originally Posted by lukeman
emotions are like a bonus given to us by God I think.
If talking about dogs or humans or any other animal it doesn't matter.
Pretty sure we're not the only species with emotions. Chimpanzees certainly show them.
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If evolution ran the world animals wouldn't have emotions 
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