New Member Tournament: Emotion is a form of Intelligence

I would like to first point out that my opponent used definitions which differentiate emotional expression from cognitive abilities. While this is the case to a certain extent, in regards to emotions being separate from a logical form of thinking, emotions do in fact use the cognitive faculties and operate in cohesion with the brain's thought patterns.The science of emotionWe need to understand what is going on in our bodies when we feel an emotion. When we experience a stimuli, sensory nerves send impulses through the spinal chord into our brain. The brain then sends information back to the motor nerves, which allow us to perform corresponding actions. To break it down a bit further, the nerve impulses travel through the limbic system, towards the frontal cortex where the emotions are monitored. The limbic system is very complex and different areas are activated depending on the type of emotion being felt. Simultaneously, the Hypothalamus is triggered, which processes the physiological effects. (for example sweaty palms, heart rate increase, etc.) [1]This is an immediate response which processes an external event and causes both a mental and physical reaction. These emotions are allowing us to engage in our environment and make the choices that allow us to survive the situation. The need of emotion for survivalWe can break emotions, in their most simplest form, down to the flight or fight instinct. This process can be found in the most basic animal brain structures and is one of our most prominent emotional reactions which influence our survival. This instinct takes place in the archiballum, which most animals, from birds to lizards, have. We know that in order for this reaction to be effective, one has to be able to gauge whether or not the situation is appropriate for fighting or fleeing. Their bodies need to act accordingly with their brain to make a snap decision. So, we know an animal who responds correctly to the flight or fight instinct will be more equip at survival, and will be the more intelligent animal. But life and emotions are more complicated than this, and this is where the limbic system plays its part. The limbic system can be found in mammals, arguably the more intelligent class of animals. For instance, the Hippocampus is the area in the limbic system involved with memories. We know that our subjective emotional reactions tie in strongly with our memories. We tend to remember those things which stimulate us most effectively, and have a stronger emotional reaction in us. Emotional responses can trigger our memory, and being emotionally stimulated to focus can help us to store our memories more efficiently. Emotions are used for survival in many different ways. Darwin was one of the first to recognize the importance of emotion, claiming that they were crucial for survival and adaptation. [2] We use emotions to gauge our surroundings, come to conclusions and decisions, and act in a way that will be the most beneficial towards us. We need emotion to interact and understand our peers. We need emotion to understand our own motivations and desires. Emotions can be learned and controlledLike logical thinking, emotions can be improved upon, learned, and controlled to get the optimum reward from them. When we think back about a past emotional experience, we can tell whether our emotions worked in favor with our desired outcome. We can then go on to alter our emotional responses in a way that is more conducive to what we are trying to achieve. For instance, say a friend planned to meet you at your local hangout at 3:00. You get yourself ready, drive down to the spot, get out, and wait for your friend. Ten minutes pass and you start to feel impatient. Another 10 minutes pass and you start feeling angry. Your body is responding to the situation and telling you to make an action. You decide to call your friend and yell at them. A blowup happens and you start name calling, your friend feels demeaned by the situation because they had a legitimate excuse for being late. They hang up on you and the two of you don't speak to each other again. This was your emotional reaction getting in your way of optimum enjoyment in life. Now, a few months pass and a similar situation arises with another friend. You start getting impatient and annoyed, but you also remember back to what happened with the last friend and it gives you another feeling of sadness and guilt. So this time instead of yelling at your friend, you decide to leave the hangout spot. When the friend calls and asks where you are, you tell them that you spent too much time waiting, and had other things to do. The friend might apologize and be more inclined to be on time the next time you two hang out. Now you used your emotions to handle the situation in a more intelligent, successful way. You can also use your emotions to relate to people, get your point across, make music, encourage others, teach others, learn, and numerous other assets of life. Emotions are intentionalIntentionality is a philosophical term that arised from Jeremy Bentham in order to relay the idea that conscious intelligence requires an act that is intentional. What this essentially means is that mental capabilities are focused on an object in the environment. We direct our love towards a person, we direct our study towards a subject, etc. This object-oriented focus is exclusive to mental consciousness. Therefore, we can judge whether or not something is intelligent by its intentionality. We know that emotions have intentionality. Something happens in our environment which stimulates our emotions, which cause us to act accordingly. Intentionality is a way to determine intelligence, and emotion passes the test. [3]1. http://www.healing-arts.org...2. http://en.wikipedia.org...3. http://plato.stanford.edu...