Poll: Would you give up emotions for a higher understanding/better logic or keep your emotions?

[ThatLankyBastard]

What's the use of being smart if you can't have the satisfaction of bragging it up?

So, no... Emotions, FTW...

 

[Vault101]

I thought about this as I play Dragon Age( I just got the game today, I know it's old, sue me). I started off as a human male Mage, I started walking around and exploring the place( like I do any RPG or sandbox game) and found Owain, a Tranquil. Tranquils are sorta like mages who get cut off from the dreamworld, the source of all mages power, and become the equivalent of laborers or slaves. In the Rite of Tranquility, any apprentice Mage who doesn't want to undergo the Harrowing( the Mage rite of passage and self control of their powers), considered a threat, or a hindrance go through the Rite of Tranquility. It basically not only severs them from their magic powers, but also leaves them emotionless slaves. They still function and work like servants, but there's....nothing there. Apparently, Dragon Age magic is powered by the dreamworld and the dreamworld is powered by emotions, so emotions power magic. So in order for them to not be a threat or reject their magic, they become emotionless slaves.

But this isn't about the Dragon Age lore, it's what the Tranquil Owain said.

I can't remember what EXACTLY it was but it was basically amongst the lines of,"I'm smarter now that I have no emotions."

That kinda scared me for a second and thought," how does no emotions makenyou smarter," it was pretty obvious after I thought for a second

Brain works like a machine with workers: 50% goes to logic(book knowledge, memories, mottos, etc.) and 50% emotion (happy, sad, tasty, disgusting, etc.). Since Owain and other Tranquil got rid of emotion they're now 100% logic.

So if you had the chance to trade emotion for a SERIOUS boost in your IQ( like 75-100 pts to your current IQ), wouldnyou do it or keepnyour emotions and retain the same IQ?

I like my emotions, and I'm pretty smart to begin with( I took a test on writing and I write better than a junior in college and I'm in grade 10), but emotion fits in with me wanting to be an artist. Sure, if I had a high IQ I could cure cancer or invent teleporters from Star Trek, but what's it worth since I wouldn't have any drive to invent anymore.

I wouldnt exactally consider dragon age "old" anyway nothing wrong with playing games that didnt came out last week (I couldnt afford that anyway) I am still yet to get awakenings

hell I just got the orginal left 4 dead (I think it may have converted me to this whole online thing) not sure ill be getting number 2, partly because of the cost, partly because of it being censored here and partly because the amount of internet it will take to "update" it

 

[Seagoon]

Hell! Ignorance is bliss, mother f*cker!

 

[Pain Is Inevitable]

I'm genuinely surprised to see so many people vote "Yes" to this question. I mean, I know a guy who pretty much lives his life on pure logic and reason, and I really pity him because of how it completely hamstrings him when it comes to having any sort of meaningful interaction with someone else. I don't think people appreciate how many positive things we are able to do on our own and with others simply because of the emotions we have.

I voted "No".

 

[ImprovizoR]

Lack of emotions doesn't make you smarter. If you can't experience emotions you can't understand a lot of things that start with "why". You need emotions to work for your logic and reason.

 

[spartan231490]

I thought about this as I play Dragon Age( I just got the game today, I know it's old, sue me). I started off as a human male Mage, I started walking around and exploring the place( like I do any RPG or sandbox game) and found Owain, a Tranquil. Tranquils are sorta like mages who get cut off from the dreamworld, the source of all mages power, and become the equivalent of laborers or slaves. In the Rite of Tranquility, any apprentice Mage who doesn't want to undergo the Harrowing( the Mage rite of passage and self control of their powers), considered a threat, or a hindrance go through the Rite of Tranquility. It basically not only severs them from their magic powers, but also leaves them emotionless slaves. They still function and work like servants, but there's....nothing there. Apparently, Dragon Age magic is powered by the dreamworld and the dreamworld is powered by emotions, so emotions power magic. So in order for them to not be a threat or reject their magic, they become emotionless slaves.

But this isn't about the Dragon Age lore, it's what the Tranquil Owain said.

I can't remember what EXACTLY it was but it was basically amongst the lines of,"I'm smarter now that I have no emotions."

That kinda scared me for a second and thought," how does no emotions makenyou smarter," it was pretty obvious after I thought for a second

Brain works like a machine with workers: 50% goes to logic(book knowledge, memories, mottos, etc.) and 50% emotion (happy, sad, tasty, disgusting, etc.). Since Owain and other Tranquil got rid of emotion they're now 100% logic.

So if you had the chance to trade emotion for a SERIOUS boost in your IQ( like 75-100 pts to your current IQ), wouldnyou do it or keepnyour emotions and retain the same IQ?

I like my emotions, and I'm pretty smart to begin with( I took a test on writing and I write better than a junior in college and I'm in grade 10), but emotion fits in with me wanting to be an artist. Sure, if I had a high IQ I could cure cancer or invent teleporters from Star Trek, but what's it worth since I wouldn't have any drive to invent anymore.

Owain doesn't say he's smarter, he says he's more able to focus because he isn't distracted by his emotions. They aren't any smarter, just more dedicated and focused.
just nit-picking. To answer your question, I would keep emotions, I would keep my humanity and individuality, over being more intelligent.

 

[Wierdguy]

I would give my emotions up in a heartbeat

Why? Because to me there are very VERY few things more important that sience, technology and the advancement of them both. Up to the point that I dont care if big companies shit all over third world countries independence, I dont care if they cut down all of the rainforest, and I dont care if a few thousand people in africa has to suffer. But what I DID care about was when I heard that those bastard oil companies recently paied a scientist money for the rights to an absolutley genious new source of energy that could of revolutionized the entire world just so they could prevent it from comming in use and secure their own money flow.

Am I heartless? Probably. But the thing is; I dont care

 

[VanQ]

I think I'd keep my emotions. I've never been exceedingly smart, but I'm at least not in the lowest common denominator. Also, if I lost my emotions, I wouldn't be able to cry to anime like Clannad or laugh along to Baka Test.

 

[Dogstile]

Emotions are what make humans weak, I say we cast them aside and realize out true potential.

On the contrary, emotions make us strong. Anger releases adrenaline, which increases our pain resistance and strength. Pain releases dopamine, helping us get through it. Theres also a chemical released from happiness, but I can't remember it right now.

Without emotions, humans wouldn't have survived. Without emotion, there is no real feeling, no point to being alive other than "I'd rather be alive than dead" and even then, logic might dictate that being dead is the better alternative than being on this world.

 

[SckizoBoy]

logic gets things done and solves problems.
emotions spark creativity and imagination, thus allowing ideas to form.
without emotions you would not be able to imagine something on your own.
therefore any new inventions would not exist.
so they could only repair a teleporter from star trek, not invint one.
they will only know what is in front of them. so if something does not exist, they wont know how to make it.
no emotions = no progress

Pretty much took the words out of my mouth.
Emotions dictate desire/curiosity... and we should have a desire to learn. Without it, what motivation is there to use that boosted intellect/analytical capacity.

@Zeroandx: 'Hope, it is the quintessential human delusion, simultaneously the source of your greatest strength, and your greatest weakness.' And let's not forget that 'strength' and 'weakness' are both relative terms. When all weakness is gone... no-one is strong.

 

[crudus]

First, I don't think you know how IQ works, and second, if this is how Dragon Age works, I don't think the fine people at Bioware (and I wouldn't besmirch them in any way) know how people work.

IQ is a measure of intelligence relative to your age: a 20 year old with an IQ of 100 is as smart as an average 20 year old; a 20 year old with an IQ of 200 is as smart as a 40 year old. Further, it's an entirely subjective measure that doesn't accurately account for specialized knowledge (for instance, memorizing all of the commands for Action Script 3; speaking multiple languages; etc), and is generally not an accurate way to actually measure intelligence.

Second, emotional distance does not turn you into a mindless slave or drone or whatnot; that's ridiculous. It's still possible to have preferences, goals, motivations, and independent thought even if you use a purely logic-based decision making process. And yes, it is possible to HAVE preferences, goals, etc without emotion. Look at the Borg, or any similar hive-mind race: emotionless, but also distinctly motivated, with clear preferences (purity), goals (assimilation), and motivations (total universal perfection).

Third, there's a difference between feeling emotions and acting or making decisions based on emotions. I don't want to do the dishes 'cause it's boring, I like to eat chocolate 'cause it's tasty, but I still do the dishes and eat things other than chocolate because I know there are good reasons for doing so.

Fourth, why would a lack of emotions make you smarter?

35 posts in and we finally have someone with reason. I wasn't thinking a zombie when he said no emotions; I was thinking of a Vulcan. My guess is emotions create a bias. For example, an equation may work out in a way you don't want but you will waste your time trying to get it to work another way. A logical person would get the answer, check his work, and move on. It is just an example (and probably a bad one), but the general idea may be right.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Im more of a kirk than a spock.

And this was what I was going to say. I'm not run by my passions, my feelings, my urges but I can appreciate their value and manage to live in a more or less harmonious way with them.

 

[King of Wei]

I'd go with the IQ boost. Don't have much emotion to begin with so it'd be great reward for a small penalty.

 

[rokkolpo]

It would kind of be like being autistic wouldn't it?

You could become a genius...but you're still autistic....

Implying autistic people have no emotions?

 

[Sovvolf]

No, my emotions are what make me, me. Without them I'm just an empty shell An highly intelligent empty shell but an empty shell none the less. They'd be very little point to life or use for that added intelligence without my emotions. Min/maxing only really works in games. Not in the real world.

 

[Lyx]

I keep my emotions for a better/higher understanding of logic.

 

[Ham_authority95]

It would be taking away one of the two pillars of human greatness(the other being logic), so whats the point?

 

[Togs]

As long as I can keep my sense of morality then yes- emotions bring more pain then joy anyway.

 

[Adam Galli]

I'll keep my emotions.