Emotion by Dylan Evans, Oxford University Press, £9.99, ISBN
019285433X
MENFOLK of New Guinea’s Gururumba people experience an emotion that no one
experiences anywhere else. They describe it as “being a wild pig”. In its grip
they feel an urge to run wild, loot and attack bystanders. Unlike joy, distress,
anger, fear, surprise and disgust, “being a wild pig” is not innate. Emotions
can be culturally acquired, and every one has a purpose.
You’ll have to read Dylan Evans’s Emotion to find out why Gururumba men need
to “be a wild pig”. This book is a charming primer on the up-and-coming science…
