How do emotions help?
Should we pursue absolute rationality?
Did you mean to say, absolute, as in “pure” rationality?
If so, then yes. Without question. But your human emotions cannot be, in the pursuit of pure rationality, excluded either. Emotions are an essential feedback system. Without them, you will not survive.
It is my belief that the conscious “programs” the brain [see Note 1, and paragraphs to follow]. To be specific, the conscious organizes the development of neural networks upon some particular experience or observation. The resulting neural-network-object becomes the mental models from which future similar sensory interpretations are realized and reacted to. These mental models are activated/run/exploited subconsciously. With subconscious use, the mind achieves expanded levels of multi-tasking and semi-permanent thought or behavioral growth. In essence, our new brain develops our old brain through programing and reprograming (the old brain seen by humans as subconscious thinking). In this way, the old brain puts conscious (hopefully rational) thinking to productive and recurring use.
I believe emotions connect subconscious thinking of both the evolutionary and developed human memory models with the conscious and awareness. Without them, subconscious thinking, once significant programming has occurred, would have no means to alert the conscious for potential corrections or revisions to established models.
Still, emotions are evolutionary too, and not just for conscious revision of developed mental models. Humans and other animals use emotions to alert the conscious to engage in other evolutionary responses like the survival instincts of fight, flight, fawn or freeze, among others.
But, emotions can program the brain as well. I think this is how the old brain works without rationality. People are encouraged to do irrational things out of fear, anger, pride, etc. External forces (i.e. other people) may use emotions to introduce new, unhelpful, behaviors and thoughts. These emotional responses are not necessarily wrong, but they could be. This latter part of emotional behavior is the part that should be de-emphasized for “pure rationality”.
Listen to the emotions, because they connect the old brain to the conscious + rationality, just don’t let the emotions do the thinking. Let the new brain’s access to rationality do that.
Note 1: Emotions also program the brain. This is how nefarious actors get a person to do irrational things.
