I think this isnât central to your point, but I wanted to push the âstraw Vulcanâ point a bit further. Itâs not just that itâs rational to try to understand other peopleâs emotional behaviour, itâs that even your own emotional responses are frequently rational and that being attuned and responsive and reactive to your emotions is an important epistemic tool. When people hurt you it is rational to be angry, or sad; it is not rational to be ruled by these emotions, but ignoring them entirely is just as bad. Your emotions are a part of your sensory /â observational experience of the world, just as much as your vision or your hearing are, and if you donât acknowledge their role in your understanding, I think you will make worse predictions about what will happen.
I think this isnât central to your point, but I wanted to push the âstraw Vulcanâ point a bit further. Itâs not just that itâs rational to try to understand other peopleâs emotional behaviour, itâs that even your own emotional responses are frequently rational and that being attuned and responsive and reactive to your emotions is an important epistemic tool. When people hurt you it is rational to be angry, or sad; it is not rational to be ruled by these emotions, but ignoring them entirely is just as bad. Your emotions are a part of your sensory /â observational experience of the world, just as much as your vision or your hearing are, and if you donât acknowledge their role in your understanding, I think you will make worse predictions about what will happen.