Right, we agree. But I think that we have overused the word emotion… That which proposes hypotheses is not exactly the same piece of brainware as that which makes you laugh and cry and love. We need different names for them. I call the latter emotion, and the former a “hypothesis generating part of your cognitive algorithm”. I think and hope that one can separate the two.
That which proposes hypotheses is not exactly the same piece of brainware as that which makes you laugh and cry and love
No… the former merely sorts those hypotheses based on information from the latter. Or more precisely, the raw data from which those hypotheses are generated, has been stored in such a manner that retrieval is prioritized on emotion, and such that any such emotions are played back as an integral part of retrieval.
One’s physio-emotional state at the time of retrieval also has an effect on retrieval priorities… if you’re angry, for example, memories tagged “angry” are prioritized.
Right, we agree. But I think that we have overused the word emotion… That which proposes hypotheses is not exactly the same piece of brainware as that which makes you laugh and cry and love. We need different names for them. I call the latter emotion, and the former a “hypothesis generating part of your cognitive algorithm”. I think and hope that one can separate the two.
No… the former merely sorts those hypotheses based on information from the latter. Or more precisely, the raw data from which those hypotheses are generated, has been stored in such a manner that retrieval is prioritized on emotion, and such that any such emotions are played back as an integral part of retrieval.
One’s physio-emotional state at the time of retrieval also has an effect on retrieval priorities… if you’re angry, for example, memories tagged “angry” are prioritized.