Emotion and Objectivity VS Subjectivity

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That really gets me fired up too, for exactly the same reasons. I fry my brain thinking about things sometimes, and people who haven't given a minutes' time to thinking about it just come along and dismiss all my points because they don't fit in with their preconceived and unresearched ideas. With me though, they tend to just use abusive ad-homs like "anti-black/anti-white/anti-semitic/anti-gentile/anti-homosexual/anti-heterosexual/anti-religious/anti-atheist" - whatever the heck I'm being accused of today.

In reply to the original question, I tend to always maintain my objectivity even when I am not in control of my emotions. I see people getting fired up all the time about nothing, hating each other over petty little problems. I really hate all that; I maintain my objectivity and say to myself 'so this person said something that was a bit rude, just brush it off - who cares? You don't want to be a petty idiot like most people". Yet my emotions won't listen and inevitably I DO get angry or hurt.

If I'm having an argument and I'm wrong, it won't take me long to realise it because my objectivity always wins out. I'm so good at reasoning that I can sometimes twist logic around to convince myself that I'm right, but ultimately I know that I'm really wrong. I will never apologise though, so my logic-twisting skills come in handy when I'm trying to continue justifying my erroneous opinion to others in order to save face.

I'm emotional about Darwinism with my knowledge of science.

I am very emotional and passionate when it comes to my pets and the treatment of animals.

I am very logical as a rule and like to gather facts.

I get emotional about lots of things. And rational about lots of things. Sometimes, it's the wrong things for the particular way of thinking. Doesn't seem to be a pattern though.

Very interesting questions Graelwyn. It is something about myself that is even somewhat confusing to me.

But firstly I have to say I absolutely don't believe AS in any way shape or form means emotionless, or one remains in a state of absolute objectivity. But I would imagine that in some cases it may appear that way, especially online.

As online communication is much easier for most aspies, what you see posted may be quite different from how it would be communicated in a face to face situation, so which does one assess the objectivity of the person by? The online post or the spoken paragraph?

I would think any true emotion would be much more visable in real life.

That aside and on a more personal note, I myself can absolutely feel strong emotion in extreme situations (and verbal debates as you mentioned) BUT on the other hand in most empathetic situations and a great percentage of time I do not feel much of anything at all when it is clear that I should or I am supposed to by society's standards.

Also at times I do feel something, but it would not be visable in my face or spoken/written word OR I am simply unable or willing to express it.

But, a truth as well, I often seem to "logic myself out of emotion". (Example: While a NT in a personal loss situation is often thinking about "how very sad... I will miss... what a loss..." whereas I am thinking about how everything is impermanent, even the mightiest mountain.)

So there are some people who view me as a rather cool and logical person... and they may be partially right, but they are wrong too.

My emotional responses and/or objectivity do seem quite inconsistant, and perhaps viewed as inappropriate to the situation at times as I would react more to a animal being injured than to a person injured.

These things considered, my empathy/emotion/objectively is questioned and especially suspect in an NT's interpretation, and perhaps that is where some of the AS/NT difference lay in this area.

So really I think although one does'nt seem emotionally invested, the truth of absolute objectivity (or complete lack of empathy) is extremely questionable in my opinion. Perhaps much more "in the eyes of the beholder" of it, than in actuality.

Keeping in mind, everything is relative...

As an INTP aspie I can get VERY upset and angry if a deeply help principle I hold is violated