Ayn Rand Contra Human Nature: Rand and Empirical Responsibility 5 - 0 views
aynrandcontrahumannature.blogspot.com/...re-not-tools-of-cognition.html
criticalthinking objectivism
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Where is Rand's evidence for this view? Again, we have nothing -- merely her own say-so.
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According to Sayegh, the conventional way of thinking about decision making is to banish emotion from its decisions entirely.
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The somatic marker hypothesis is a very relevant theory when discussing emotions in decision making. It states that bioregulatory signals such as feelings and emotions provide the principal guide for decisions where individuals, when dealing with a judgement, will assess the severity of the outcomes, their probability of occurrence and their emotional quality to provide their decision.
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As mentioned earlier, there is an intimate connection between emotion and cognition in practical decision making.
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If Objectivists wish their view of the role of emotions in cognition to be taken seriously, they need to (1) provide scientific evidence on behalf of their view, and (2) explain why the evidence supporting the Somatic Marker Hypothesis is not inconsistent with Rand's assertions about emotion.
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""Emotions are not tools of cognition." Where is Rand's evidence for this view? Again, we have nothing -- merely her own say-so. In Objectivism, emotions are equated with mere "whims"; to allow one's judgment to be affected by emotions is tantamount to committing the horrible crime of "whim worshipping." This, of course, is an argument ad hominem with no scientific standing whatsoever."