do we have any emotions that can't be attributed to animal instinct?

[RUSSLA]

do we?

I mean if you really open your eyes and look around you, you'll see that the vast majority of people (myself included) base their actions on primitive emotions that every animal and person around the planet feels. We act on the desires for security, companionship, and comfort.

The people who become great and leaders in our society seem to transcend these animal urges. How are they different?

For example, the greatest athletes push through the pain that any normal person or animal would balk at immediately.

Some of it comes down to overcoming fear...but i think even animals have that capacity as well. If you reward an animal sufficiently, it will face and conquer it's fear just as humans do.

Basically what i'm wondering is, what seperates us from any other animal on this earth, besides our intelligence. I think we need to examine the lives of the great people to discover this. I'm sure many people already know what so i'm looking forward to your responses.

[PianoManGidley]

I myself have considered our own sentience and higher brain functions as simply a more complex, intricate extension of instinct, meaning that emotions and thoughts based therein are still instinctual in nature. But I could be wrong.

[The Cloud]

Beliefs->thoughts->emotions->actions

Accepting that this is true, your emotions are a product of what you believe. Fundamentally, there are two categories of emotions: negative and positive. Negative emotions arise when you hold a belief that is contradictory to reality.

Say that you believe that you must always appear helpful. You also believe that planting trees is a waste of time. Additionally, you believe that deception is bad. If somebody asks you to help them plant trees, then you are going to feel conflicted, and thus feel negative emotions because you can't fulfill all three beliefs simultaneously. If you help plant the trees, then you are being deceptive and wasting your time. If you don't help plant the trees, you either have to appear to be unhelpful or deceive the person into thinking that you are unable to help.

No matter what, you cannot escape the contradiction. Conversely, if you believe that planting trees is a good use of your time, then planting the trees will cause you to feel positive emotions.

None of this necessarily means that what you believe is good or bad, only that it is conflicted or unconflicted. Thus emotions aren't animal instinct, but rather a product of our beliefs cross-referenced with our perceptions.

[RUSSLA]

Originally Posted by The Cloud

Beliefs->thoughts->emotions->actions

Accepting that this is true, your emotions are a product of what you believe. Fundamentally, there are two categories of emotions: negative and positive. Negative emotions arise when you hold a belief that is contradictory to reality.

Say that you believe that you must always appear helpful. You also believe that planting trees is a waste of time. Additionally, you believe that deception is bad. If somebody asks you to help them plant trees, then you are going to feel conflicted, and thus feel negative emotions because you can't fulfill all three beliefs simultaneously. If you help plant the trees, then you are being deceptive and wasting your time. If you don't help plant the trees, you either have to appear to be unhelpful or deceive the person into thinking that you are unable to help.

No matter what, you cannot escape the contradiction. Conversely, if you believe that planting trees is a good use of your time, then planting the trees will cause you to feel positive emotions.

None of this necessarily means that what you believe is good or bad, only that it is conflicted or unconflicted. Thus emotions aren't animal instinct, but rather a product of our beliefs cross-referenced with our perceptions.

hmmm...interesting post. I too believe that emotions are intrinsically linked to beliefs. However, i think most people would let go of their beliefs to fulfill their base animal needs. Again, it takes an exceptional person to stay strong to a belief when confronted with temptation.

I guess thats why some people are great, and most aren't.

[Plato]

It's just a question of definition.