Abstract

Since inception, AI research has been inspired by the idea of building machines that think and behave like humans. Or put another way, machines that think and act rationally. This paradigm has its historical foundations in the assumption that what makes humans different from other forms of life is our capacity for self-reflective, rational thought. This assumption has caused research into artificial intelligence and human intelligence more generally to undervalue the role of emotions in generalized problem-solving. The very definition of rationality has, for much of Western history, discounted emotions from its conception. Where emotions are investigated, they are often treated as irrational, immaterial, or illusory aspects of human experience. This has been an unfortunate mistake.