Pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth: religions have whipped up these emotions as deadly sins, as sentiments that must be shunned lest one strays from the right path. Science, however, does not look at them as outright negatives. It treats them as complicated ideas that have played a crucial role in humans’ evolutionary success, even made them what they are.
The scholarship on these concepts has grown over the years. Psychologists, anthropologists, sociologists, even economists, now study them through different lenses to analyse their role not just in human evolution but also in today’s times, in ensuring one’s mental health or financial well-being, for instance. They are conducting complex scientific studies to examine, explain and explore the rationale behind emotions.
They still do not understand them clearly or completely. How are emotions affected by cultures or genes or the brain? What are their key triggers? Do they have physical and mental costs? Do animals have feelings that correspond to human emotions? Are emotions just human expressions or are we engineered to experience them for some existential benefits?
Rohini Krishnamurthy speaks to scientists and authors to take stock of what we know so far, the historical debates around these emotions and the critical gaps in our understanding. The 32nd anniversary edition of Down To Earth documents these conversations that emphasise one point: emotions are innate to human existence and a part of their biological being.
PRIDE JESSICA L TRACY
Pride evolved in humans to help them navigate through hierarchy, improve status
Denne historien er fra May 16, 2024-utgaven av Down To Earth.
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Denne historien er fra May 16, 2024-utgaven av Down To Earth.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
THE GREAT FARM HUSTLE
Agroforestry is fast emerging as a win-win strategy to mitigate climate change and improve farmers' income. It is particularly so in India, home to one-fifth of the agroforestry carbon projects in the world. Over the past months ROHINI KRISHNAMURTHY has travelled to almost 20 villages across the country to understand how this market works. At all locations, she finds that communities and their land and labour are central to the projects. But they do not always benefit from the carbon revenue
CAN AGROFORESTRY CREDITS BE SAVED?
Ensure that farmers benefit from the carbon revenue and stay protected against market failure
Urban trap
Fearing loss of autonomy and access to government schemes, several villages across India are protesting against the decision to change their status to town
Dubious distinction
How Madhya Pradesh displaced Punjab as the country's leading state in stubble burning
TRADE TENSIONS
Why the benefits of agroforestry carbon trade do not trickle down to farmers
A fantastical lens
BIOPECULIARIS A LAUDABLE ATTEMPT TO CARVE A SPACE FOR SPECULATIVE CLIMATE FICTION WITHIN INDIAN LITERATURE. WHILE THE STORIES MAY NOT ALWAYS HIT THEIR MARK, THE ANTHOLOGY IS AN IMPORTANT STEP IN A GENRE THAT DESERVES MORE ATTENTION
Help on hold
US' decision to pause foreign aid could lead to hunger deaths, ruin economies of nations across Africa
Irrigation by snow
Declining rain and snowfall make farmers collect snow from higher altitudes to water their apple crops
Stem the rot
A fungal disease has hit the most widely sown sugarcane variety in Uttar Pradesh, threatening the country's sugar production
The mythos of ancient India's scientific excellence
Policymakers are obsessed by a fuddled idea of resurrecting a glorious civilisational past, and even IITs have fallen in line
