When it comes to decision-making, perception and so on, what are your beliefs about the role and merits of feelings/emotions vs reasoning?

Some common positions:

  • Emotions tend to get in the way of reasoning - we should primarily rely on our logic and rationality to guide us. When feeling strongly about anything we should block it out and try to think purely in a rational way.

  • Reasoning can distract us when the right answer is to empathize or trust our gut feelings; it’s easy to be misled by a convincing argument but gut feelings can see through that.

  • Emotions and logic each play a role in observation and judgment. If both didn’t have a use, why would we have evolved to have them?

A lot of people probably don’t go all the way one way or the other. Even if you don’t have a particularly strong reason for why you feel one way or the other, feel free to express what you believe.

    • tiramichu@lemm.eeEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      On the lust thing, my take is that lust provides an initial attraction to want to be with someone and spend time with them, and then due to spending more time together you form closer bonds which may grow into love.

      Similarly with the biological predisposition to find children adorable and want to protect them, that’s what makes things work initially, but later you likewise grow to love them on their own merits.

      Love is also an emotional response, of course, just a different sort of one.

    • Ace T'KenMEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      Tiger example

      True, but logic could also state that a group standing their ground and making loud noises would drive the tiger away. Quickly arming yourself, defence, deterrence, and group tactics are a logical response. A little pre-planning leads you to be able to curtail an emotional response later. Running and screaming as the emotional response would most likely lead to at least one person being injured (as tigers can outrun humans in short bursts) if not killed and eaten.

      Kids example

      Yes. As a parent, yes, you go a little insane. Logic led me to say that we could handle one (which isn’t a decision everyone gets to make). Emotion led me to actually be a Father. Kids absolutely play on and demolish both of those processes. Kids are chaos incarnate.