Emotions in evolution

A very interesting idea just popped into my mind this morning... And it came so surprisingly naturally that I believe that there must a purpose for its birth... and of course a place on my blog... Before we get into it... let me first describe to you the theory of Evolution by Charles Darwin (if I remember correctly)...

The THEORY of evolution is all based on the principles of the 'survival of the fittest'... if you have a selective advantage over another of your species.. you will have a higher chance of living to the age of reproductivity.. and thus produce more offsprings as compared to the selectively disadvantaged variation of your species... And thus, in the long run... the other variations of your species die off while you increase in numbers till there is none of the other left.. and only you remain...

On that note, Darwin formulated a theory that states that all the characteristics that we possess as humans today are indeed a result of thousands of years of natural selection and every single aspect of the homosapian works in a way to ensure that his survival is optimised....

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With that said, I was seriously wondering... why oh why... did human beings retain the capacity of having emotions in our system in the years of evolution....

Most of us know that emotions are a dangerous thing to possess.. They make us irrational... To have illogically good opinions of people we love... and equally illogically bad opinions of people who appear to endanger us... Emotions such as anger lead us to do dangerous things like launch into a fight with a fellow human being... And extreme sadness often leads to suicide... which is obviously counter productive to survival...

Why then did the human kind retain the capacity of being emotional? What kind of selective advantage does being emotional have compared to a human being who is totally void and immune to any extreme emotional response? Such a human being would be logical at all times.. he would never emotionally compromised... He will always be able to make the right decisions... But maybe.. just maybe.. living itself is not based on how many right decisions you make... and indeed the heart (emotions) have a selective advantage over the brain... Perhaps to survive optimally, you need to have a comfortable mix of rational and irrational decisions...

Perhaps... it is indeed the capacity to enjoy and endure the spectrum of painful and pleasurable emotions that make living worth it... Maybe, in the absence of emotions, humans will lose their magic and charm.... and thus, their selective advantage?

Well, I am trained as a scientist... and this essay is trailing far too off from being a scientific... Thus, let's go back into practical hypothesis formulation... as too what selective advantage emotions have to the human kind...

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Possible selective advantages

Reason 1
Emotions help us form stronger bonds with our neighbours.. thus allowing us to be social beings that can coexist harmoniously... Not only can we survive.. We survive more comfortably and in greater safety when we group together....

Reason 2
Emotions like fear can help us increase our speed, accuracy and agility... and allow us to develop supremely sensitive fight or flight response when dealing with danger...

Reason 3
Emotions drive us to fall irrationally in love with another party, though he is not perfect... we develop illogically good opinions of the other party when we fall in love.. This process is essential to start a relationship that might end in proliferation of the species...

Reason 4
Emotions like anger... when present in the leader of the pack... can help add an edge of danger to the leader... that will act as a deterent to the others in the pact..... to prevent any disrespect for authority... and keep the pact in order... Any members who are attacked or discarded in the process of the show of anger by authority and have not the ability to fight back or defend himself will be considered selectively disadvantaged and assumed to have no right to live in the first place... His genes will be removed from the gene pool with his death...

Reason 5
Emotions help us enjoy life... and savour small details of beauty... Giving us a reason to live... As all intelligent beings require motivation to live... this emotional aspect of man would indeed help us find our own source of drive to live....

Reason 6
Emotions are the key factor that seperates man from beast (though I sometimes wonder if Loki (my dog) is more sympathetic than my parents).... It makes us compassionate, patient and gracious... an aspect that would otherwise be impossible without emotions...

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Perhaps the entire aspect of God's grace can only be understood in the presence of emotions.. Whilst man has undoubtedly commited many henious acts of violence and disrepect in the name of emotions... Emotions have also allowed man to condone and forgive many sins committed against them in the name of love....

Perhaps, to the extent that emotions causes trouble in man... that is also the extent in which emotions can cause good in man.... And in the prcoess of evolution.... emotions have indeed shown to be an essential characteristic that gives the current man an edge over all our predecessors...

Maybe it is time for the cynical me to give due credit to the sensitive side of me.... I am an emo... no doubt about it... i am emotional and sensitive... Though it has made me undoubtedly mildly depressed... It has also allowed me to be sympathetic and compassionate... And maybe it is this two aspects of me that greatly outweighs the disadvantages of being emo....

Whatever it is.. I cannot deny that emotions make criticism and jokes less easy to bear... it also makes forgiving others much harder as the hurt that results from careless words go much deeper... The plus point is that you are naturally more careful with your words... and you are less likely to step on potential landmines...

With all that said, I do not subscribe to the theory of evolution... I do not believe in it... What I do believe in, is that emotions are a gift from God... and the more you have, the closer you are to God.. For only God himself is capable of perfect love... and man is created in God's image... love is an emotion... (though many have said that it is an action... actions are a result of emotions)... and the more you have, the more you will be able to understand the concept of God's grace...