damasio, looking for spinoza, p. 58

"Note that they select a preexisting lock, rather than instruct the brain on how to create one." In this way, the pathways of the emotions are pre-established in the brain. There are a restricted number of pathways open as a response to emotionally competent stimuli. Not to get too reductive, but it does seem as if a not unlimited number of stimuli travel down a not endless number of pathways in the brain on the way to creating a limited range of emotions.