Weekly 30 Minute #PhilosophyChallenge [1]
Hello friends, I want to start a weekly philosophy writing challenge - join me if you're up for it! Guidelines for this challenge are simple:
- Answer the actual question asked and try to stay on topic. Try.
- Tell us what you think and, most importantly, why -- opinions are great, but it's the reasons for your belief that interest us!
- You can take as long as you'd like to research your answer, but don't spend more than 30 minutes to write your response. [1] Here is a 30 minute timer you can use.
- Add the tag #philosophychallenge to your entry or comment a link to your response below.
- Have fun with your answer!
Here is this week's question (4/19 - 4/26):
If emotions are the product of biochemical reactions, then in the future we will be theoretically able to control them. If we could control emotions through technology, should we?
References and quotes are encouraged! ↩
Well I will give my short and maybe to simple answer to this here (it’s not worth a blog entry).
No we shouldn’t be able to control emotions. Emotions are what makes us human. Without emotions (or with only „conform“ ones) we would be nothing more than robots, zombies and shadows of ourselves.
We wouldn't do away with the emotions (re-read the question!) but control them. Even with controlled emotions, would we not still be human?
What if we have an individual who doesn't feel the appropriate emotional responses - a sociopath with little to no sympahty for the pain of others. What if we could make it so that this individual can sympathize with the suffering or joy of others. Would this not be a good thing to try and do?
Maybe controlled emotions will lead to a constant numb but slightly happy state. Like everybody being a little stoned all day. Well that’s not so bad I guess.
😜
Yes i think so, at least not individual humans anymore. Controlling emotions would lead to the same thing as no emotions.
I thought of something like emotion controll by government, artificial intelligence, something like that.
This would lead to spread one ideal and conform emotion to everyone. Resulting in a perfect wheel in the system.
(Not shure if Wheel is the right word in this context.)
We should continue in the other „thread“.
What if we have an individual who doesn't feel the appropriate emotional responses - a sociopath with little to no sympathy for the pain of others. What if we could make it so that this individual can sympathize with the suffering or joy of others. Would this not be a good thing to try and do?
Well I know people that are on certain drugs (medications) that influence their emotional state. And sometimes it may help but... well.
I thought of some perfectly controlled by the government thing.
Was that also your idea?
I was just responding to what you said. I'll have to write out my answer to find out what I think for myself. :-) Look out for it, I'm going to try and get it done tomorrow morning.
Well I don’t know what timezone you‘re on 😋
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🚒Anyone know how I can register this challenge or help me reach some more people? I may be too green to get this off the ground by myself... 🚒
Well you could promote it by bots.
I resteemed it, but my range isn’t that big either.
Here's my answer!
https://busy.org/@dphilosopher/why-we-should-not-seek-to-control-our-emotions-biochemically-or-by-any-other-means