From Sanctity to Invulnerability: Disgust as a Function for Avoiding the Cognition of Limits

Abstract

I defended the view that one of the notable symbolic functions of disgust is to the avoid the limitations inherent in our unconscious desire to be invulnerable to life. Via the plasticity of disgust's gene-cultural evolution throughout enduring norms on human sanctity, we inherited an unconscious, instinctive desire to be invulnerable, whose characteristic emotion is disgust. My framework on disgust can explain a wider variety of instances of disgust than the contemporary literature, such as the nausea we feel before a theatrical performance, the allure of disgust in humour and storytelling, and disgust where core-disgust elicitors are not operative.