JewelYin t1_j8x8g18 wrote
Reply to comment by Hip-Harpist in Reason and emotion are deeply connected. Understanding the interplay between them can help us make better sense of the world but eliminates the promise of objective rationality. by IAI_Admin
>If reason is at least partially driven as a neurological function, then it would follow that an emotional brain would need to intentionally suppress that aspect of consciousness to “think clearly.”
What, why? I don't follow
Manungal t1_j8xaorg wrote
Yeah, lost me in the first half.
The absence of emotion does not equal the presence of reason or vice versa.
Hip-Harpist t1_j8xf743 wrote
I might have rushed here. This first bit is where I was trying to summarize the essential debate on emotion and reasoning.
If logical reasoning is a product of the mind, and emotions are also a product of the mind, and there is a belief that emotions would disrupt reasoning, then it follows that emotions should be suppressed when one is actively applying logic to a problem.
This is especially considered where, in everyday life, people who “act on emotions” instead of logic or linear thinking are seen as impulsive or unreasonable. I don’t think that’s necessarily true, as in the case of instinctive/survival-based decisions, but that feels obvious.
Instead, I’m trying to argue that non-instantaneous decision making can take emotions into context, because outright ignoring the input of emotions is a denial of an essential part of the mind. I think emotions matter greatly as we apply reasoning to problems.
jack1509 t1_j8xhs5z wrote
I don't like to view emotions and rational thinking as if they are somehow opposite to each other or as if doing one means we are suppressing the other I think they are really interrelated to each other. Our thoughts directly influence our emotions, like you can literally think yourself to a bad mood. So I believe rational thinking plays an important role in "sorting" our emotions. I agree that emotions are "non-instaneous" and hence takes some time to manifest. That's why I think rational thinking may not instantaneously fix our mood but if practiced as a habit allows us to have greater control over our emotions over time.
Hip-Harpist t1_j8xjldd wrote
I agree with most of this, with the exception that, to an extreme, rational thinking to explain emotions can transform into immature coping mechanisms. Rationalization will “explain away” certain emotions or reactions, like when someone with extreme fear or anxiety of lightning to believe this is natural, since lightning can instantly kill you.
Likewise, “intellectualizing” is an immature mechanism where one tries to “objectively” research or study a problem, thereby depersonalizing the person from the subject. An example would be a man with pancreatic cancer avoiding his feelings on the matter by reading clinical trials, drug trials, and survival rates for his disease at the level of a doctoral candidate instead of attending to his emotional state.
But these are extremes that you certainly didn’t imply, just worth noting, and I agree that practice is needed to find a happy medium of permitting emotional recognition and using rational thinking to guide towards a good solution.
jack1509 t1_j8xmtem wrote
Yeah, very good point. Rational thinking while being in a hyper emotional state is extremely tough. I think the trick is not to rationalize every thought and emotions but rather to reach an overall state of "acceptance" that emotions can be "irrational". This is more of a practice in meditation or in stoicism that slowly gives us an ability to make rational choices while acknowledging that what we are feeling right now transcends logic and reason and the futility of having a discussion with it or indulging in it in an investigative sort of way. For example: a stoic asks himself if the anger that he is feeling adds any value to the situation at hand. He reminds himself that this rush of emotions impairs his ability to makes rational choices and it is stupid to let it control you so much. Just this reminder to yourself every time you feel anger weakens it over time.
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