Are Emotions Necessary?

In a world of logic, emotions have no place, so says Mr. Spock.  And we can see the difficulty of emotions.  Emotions can cause violence, or cause breakdowns-- either too much or too little action.  They can cloud our thinking by causing us to jump to conclusions or to hide significant pieces of information.  But are emotions always bad?  In fact, can we even function without emotions?  For what reasons do we have emotions anyway?

Emotions give us personal information.  While emotions may not always help us understand the world around us, they can give us information about ourselves and how we are responding to that world.  How do our emotions show us what is significant to us?  How do our emotions communicate what we fear or what we hope or what we long for?

Emotions drive us to action.  If we did not have emotions, for what reason would we do anything?  If our emotions were absent, would we care enough about anything to act with appropriate drama when necessary?

Emotions are one form of communicating.  Were it not for our emotions, would anyone else know what was significant to us, whether positive or negatively?  If we always spoke in even tones of voice, would we be effectively communicating not only information, but depth?

Emotions help us process events.  Could we process what needs to be done in a short period of time without emotions?  With anger, we instantly see options for injustices done-- perhaps they are not the best options, but they give us options to begin the process of judging and determining right courses of action.  Depression may slow us down, but this is important for us to do after a time of significant stress.  Fear may lead to fight-or-flight, but when we see that these are only the first responses to a varied situation, but often the instant response is the correct one.  Without emotions would we accomplish what we need to do, as quickly as they need to be done?

In the end, the question is: are emotions necessary, or should we get rid of them?  As useful as emotions are in these ways, could they be better replaced by more rational, thoughtful responses?  Or do we need the instant, intuitive, personal response-- is it a part of being human?  Could we even reason appropriately without emotions?  Is it possible, or desirable, to live on planet Vulcan?