Odin.

What "pragmatic" reason is there to not cheat on your wife?

or to remain loyal to someone, despite a disadvantage?

Also, deal with it, 21.

Besides, we're ignoring the whole "humanitarian" angle

Shouldn't happiness be what all strive for?

Mind you, not recklessly so - but within reason

@Alice Redacted
You simply don't want the same thing all of the time. Wisdom in this case would be knowing that you need to muster your emotions so that you feel good in the future and that you act consistently with your greater emotional needs.

You cannot simply do whatever you feel like doing and act consistently with all emotions at all times. Some emotions are stronger at some times, and they contradict each other.

Are you talking about impulse control?

Impulses aren't emotions

Emotions aren't impulses

Anger is an emotion, and you may have to control it if you love your wife, for example.

That's fair

Impulse control is ONLY hard when there is a strong emotion under it

but you seem to be saying that emotions, in general, are bad

No, I am saying that they need to be structured rationally

and that we should rid ourselves of them

If you try to cover them up, they'll come out somewhere else

Everything we do is based in emotions

Of course, venting is useful at times

It's just a matter of whether or not we're acting rationally

expressing them in some way

be it to a friend, a lover, through writing, painting, or whatever you enjoy

acting purely "rationally" in a "realpolitik" sort of way is dangerous

particularly to those lacking power

Empathy is a powerful emotion.

I don't believe that empathy is an emotion

One which we should never risk suppressing.

Do you mean compassion

It's most certainly a feeling one has towards another

compassion, care, love, whatever you name it

Sympathy... all similar words, all feelings divorced from pragmatism

I can feel empathetic towards another

When oxytocin, the chemical that causes compassion, is increased it actually leads to warlike and tribal behavior

I'd like to ask for a citation

ah

in-group/out-group favoritism?

Altruism is game theoretic

And unconditional love for all people generally fails

Looking at it, it seems to benefit the in-group link