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DNA

the programme writer for our emotions
is our DNA
as it is for our toenails and our blood cells

we are programmed from birth to have emotions
as our brain becomes more mature
we have more sophistication in
the types of emotions we have

and in
the way our brain deals with emotions,
(hopefully)

emotions are old programmes made to help survival
​not survival of us individuals

but survival of DNA
chance errors in DNA  generate random changes
these survive or don't survive
iron rusts
but you wouldn't say it plans to rust
so DNA changes 
but it doesn't plan to
it just happens through random errors in copying
so to say that DNA sets up emotions
 really means that survival chose the DNA
which had emotion coded
​perhaps better to say survival chose emotions


so DNA, survival and evolution look like a plan
but they are just an inevitable result of chemistry

DNA/survival selected emotions that help us, the donkeys
we are the donkeys transporting human DNA through time
DNA has no plan
it has only inevitable survival
or not
survival
emotion appears to make us transport DNA better through time
by making us do things that promote survival
long enough to procreate and care for our children 

DNA gives us a carrot and a stick
 
to keep us on the right path
the right path for the survival of dna 

the carrot is happiness

the stick is unhappiness

when we choose the things that make us happy
eg being communal,
this helps us survive
when we do things that make us unhappy
​eg not having any purpose or future
we tend not to survive so well

the carrot and stick have persisted over time
but as our brain's cortex has become more sophisticated
but the sophistication is only in the
multiplicity of carrots and sticks
and the complexity of the game they create
we have found more things which we see
as getting us a carrot or a stick.
these days in the western world
wealth success and social standing are predominant
as our carrots
if we don't achieve these things we get a stick
these things appear to help DNA to survive

the problem that emotions bring is
​ that they are programmes for DNA survival
but we are not DNA
and we will not survive 
death is inevitable

so our purpose is different from DNA's 
we can't get rid of emotion
so our only choice is to be happy    
in fact emotion demands this

to get our happiness effectively our only option
is to do so communally and sustainably
rather than in the unbridled way that dna would have 



​

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  • introduction
    • emotion : definition >
      • how the mind works
      • why live
      • why be happy
    • DNA >
      • survival
      • artificial intelligence
      • the self
      • reasons for living overlap
      • behind the reasons >
        • dna extended phenotype
        • overcome adversity
      • Meaning, which makes us content
    • who are you
    • DNA the architect of mind​
    • happiness fear and humour
  • the uselessness of mystery
  • invent happiness
    • unhappiness
    • positive emotions
    • negative emotions
    • mechanisms >
      • programmed
  • failures of emotions
    • the master
    • the gap
    • the other side of the gap
    • ignorance
    • binary versus analogue
    • blindness
    • challenges
    • escalation
    • power
    • mental illness is emotions out of control
    • drugs
    • crime
  • solutions
    • simple rules
    • diligence
    • focus
    • equanimity
    • awareness
    • intuitive
    • DNA vs you
  • humour
  • fear
  • depression
  • emotion meter
  • quiz
    • quiz answer
  • religion
  • questions for you
  • Emotions are autonomous
  • moods , feelings
  • the self and beneficial AI
  • you don't know what you are doing
  • emotions as weapons
  • stoicism
  • derivative thinking
  • taming the amygdala
  • criticism
  • philosophy
  • dna directives.
  • philosophers and emotions
  • philosophers
  • dna the designer...proof
  • response to emotions
  • science and emotion
  • social behaviour and emotions
  • emotions and politics
  • conatus
  • science
  • modern socioeconomic happiness
  • free will
  • introduction
  • dopamine and neurotransmitters
  • input process output