Emotion by Dylan Evans, Oxford University Press, 拢9.99, ISBN
019285433X
MENFOLK of New Guinea鈥檚 Gururumba people experience an emotion that no one
experiences anywhere else. They describe it as 鈥渂eing a wild pig鈥�. In its grip
they feel an urge to run wild, loot and attack bystanders. Unlike joy, distress,
anger, fear, surprise and disgust, 鈥渂eing a wild pig鈥� is not innate. Emotions
can be culturally acquired, and every one has a purpose.
You鈥檒l have to read Dylan Evans鈥檚 Emotion to find out why Gururumba men need
to 鈥渂e a wild pig鈥�. This book is a charming primer on the up-and-coming science
of emotions. Evans explains how they evolved to help our ancestors survive in a
hostile environment and why 鈥渆motional intelligence鈥� is still essential in the
modern world. This pocket-sized guide is also for those seeking to tame their
emotions through 鈥渢echnologies of mood鈥�, chemical or otherwise. It warns how
emotions can affect reasoning and memory.
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As Evans acknowledges, it鈥檚 impossible to cover all the angles in a small
book, and Emotion is light on neurobiology. So it is a pity he devotes so much
valuable space to the development of 鈥渆motional machines鈥�. This is a mistake,
because physiology is intrinsic to the experience of emotions: the beating
heart, the adrenalin rush. He looks forward to the day when computers can tell
if you鈥檙e in a foul mood the moment you boot them up and, instead of asking you
for your password, would tell a few jokes. I fear users of such an emotional PC
might 鈥渂e a wild pig鈥� and punch its lights out.
