In 'Self Comes to Mind' I pay a lot of attention to simple creatures without brains or minds, because those 'cartooned abstractions of who we are' operate on precisely the same principles that we do.
Antonio DamasioEmotion consists of a very well orchestrated set of alterations in the body that has, as a general purpose, making life more survivable by taking care of a danger, of taking care of an opportunity, either/or, or something in between.
Antonio DamasioThere is no such thing as a disembodied mind. The mind is implanted in the brain, and the brain is implanted in the body.
Antonio DamasioConsciousness begins when brains acquire the power, the simple power I must add, of telling a story.
Antonio DamasioLeaving out appraisal also would render the biological description of the phenomena of emotion vulnerable to the caricature that emotions without an appraisal phase are meaningless events. It would be more difficult to see how beautiful and amazingly intelligent emotions can be, and how powerfully they can solve problems for us.
Antonio Damasio