LOGIC vs. EMOTION?

Question

Why do we distinguish between emotion and logic? Which should predominate and whiich is more valid?

Answer 1

My tears cannot be stopped by my logic,,,


...

Answer 2

1. We experience reasoning and feeling as separate entities, even when combined. Thoughts can have feelings attached, and feelings can cause thoughts.
2. The neither can predominate. Our emotions are older things from an evolutionary point of view; the environment they were designed to help us deal with is no longer there. As a result out emotions can get us into trouble, especially the violent and sexual ones. Our logical capabilities are newly evolved and have radically transformed the conditions of life (not just for humans). In a way they hate each other the rational and emotional. Sadly, without emotion you are half dead and life loses meaning (though not to the logical part of the mind which likes a bit of peace and quiet!). Without the reasoning part we lose one of the most wondrous gifts in creation. It is also a betrayal of Life who has, after much hard work, found a way to get one over on the vagaries of environmental challenges, which up till now she has suffered blindly. Could dinosaurs hope to spot that asteroid and nuke it?
3. In terms of validity, it depends on the arena. Reason is good for logical problems and emotions contain the deeper wisdom of the more human relationships. We have more of a duty to our emotional side as this is firstly suppressed a great deal (esp. in UK) and secondly, not being able to solve a mathematical question can't make you are miserable as not having anyone who you can relate to. I would add that I have found people talk a lot about how rational their choices are but when you take a step back the logic and reason ends up seeming to be a puppet for the deeper desires.
Sorry to ramble. regards

Answer 3

"Our two minds .... One is an act of the emotional
mind, the other of the rational mind. In a very real
sense we have two minds, one that thinks and one that
feels" (Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence,
Bloomsbury Publishing, London, 1996, page 8). This
rational mind is also called the faculty of logic and
reason.

The Upanishads say that logic and emotion are opposite
in nature. Modern psychologists have also abserved it,
but they are not very sure of it.

"At the same time, reason sometimes clearly seems to
come into conflict with some desires (even while not
being in conflict with others) giving us the impression
that reason is separate from emotion".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reason

Using logic in most of mental activities appears very
logical. But the faculty of logic has got its own limitations:

In the 1930s, Austrian mathematician Godel proved a
theorem which became the "Godel theorem" in cognition
theory. It states that any formalized 'logical' system
in principle cannot be complete in itself. It means
that a statement can always be found that can be
neither disproved nor proved using the means of that
particular system. To discuss about such a statement,
one must go beyond that very logic system; otherwise
nothing but a vicious circle will result. Psychologist
say that any experience is contingent - it's opposite
is logically possible and hence should not be treated
as contradictory.

The Upanishads describe the faculty Buddhi (intellect)
which overcomes the limitations of logic and emotion.

In English, 'flourit' means the age of flowering or
dawning of wisdom; it also means the age of 40. (See a
multi-volume dictionary in a library). Generally, the
faculty of mind 'intellect' starts funtcioning after
the age of 40 years. Youngsters are never called as
intellectuals for this reason.

Answer 4

1. To compare and contrast is how we define all things.
2. Logic should predominate.
3. Neither is more valid than the other because both are needed for a content life. Logic moreso than emotions in making decisions, though. Only a child would act and make decisions based on emotions alone.

Answer 5

Hello,

(ANS) I think you need to be a wee bit carefull here, you seem to be confusing rationality verses irrationality. You cannot in my opinion split the emotions or feeling self from the functionality of the mind or thinking.

**NOTE: Human beings arent NOT mind only & feelings only!! The reality is that we ALL have a bodymind, the body & the mind are one, they should hopefully function as unitary whole, function with autonomy.

**Your assuming that feelings or emotions dont have rationality at some level. Well as an experienced bodywork therapist I can tell you that the body and its feelings have a very deep knowledge. The body has a very impressive sense of logic & wisdom.

**Feelings & emotions often can be trusted far more than the mind or thinking abilities.

**Its NOT about which functions should predominate at all in my opinion. Its about which function should be trusted most and in which situation. Sometimes I find my feelings are most to be trusted on some matters but at other times my thinking is spot on but my thinking has been informed by my feelings. This is a good example of what I was talking about earlier, the bodymind references each other, the emotions can inform your thinking & vica versa.

IR

Answer 6

Logic has something to do with Reason, therefore Truth. Emotion is an intense mental reaction to something which involves the Physiological brain, the Nervous system.
They are different only because in this definition, Emotion is a physiological reaction that is not necessarily logical. In the movie "What the Bleep do you know", this is extensively discussed by quantum physicist. The summary is that emotion comes out of peptides or chemicals from the brain that is released according to the wiring that is created from the habits that we form. But because we can change habits, we can rewire the brain properly. This is a quantum leap. Now, logic and emotion can be both based from True perception. For true perception of Life to happen we have to know the why's in life. Foremost to this is Why did the creator created us, made us
want to have relationships etc. Because this is a broad question, I'll give you a simple answer. Try looking at Nature and
see how it operates, you will see that it is based on sustainability.
If you look inside the cell, it continually divides and form new cells.
The Intelligence doing all these is constantly creating out of pure love, if we align our life to that and become His co-creator, we manifest His beingness in all areas of our lives, even in choosing or forming relationships. We create our own relationships because we are creating our realities. If we let others create our relationship we do not align with that fact. We become an Effect of others.Being able to perceive the truth correctly and being able to apply it in our daily life is very important.
So, the answer to your question is: Logic and Emotion if based from true perceptions, can be used to make our life beautiful and doing so, we will be able to co-create Happiness, infinite Happiness....

Janaki

Answer 7

Harmony and balance should be the golden rule. Neither Logic, nor Emotion should predominate as a rule. It all depends on the specific circumstances.

There are case in which only through logic we can find a solution. Whereas there are other cases in which emotion leads us to the correct solution.

So, emotion and logic should function together in harmony for the benefit of the human.

Answer 8

Both are equally valid, and a mix of the two should always be used to come to decisions. As for which should predominate, that depends on the situation. If you see a complete stranger drowning in the sea, the logical course of action would be to let them drown, as you would be risking your own life for someone you don't know or have any emotional ties to. However, the moral course of action, and the course of action most of us would at least like to believe we would carry out, would be to jump in and try and save the stranger, even at the risk of drowning yourself. Generally, what you yourself see as the moral course of action is ruled by emotion, while the logical course of action is dictated by reason. It is essential to combine logic and emotion. Actually, we shouldn't distinguish between them, as logic is nothing if not helped by emotion, and vice versa.

Answer 9

Logic is a tool a way of figuring things out. It is not a cold and stoic attitude. If you believe "A person should marry the person he loves." and you believe " I love Susie." Then "I should marry Susie." is the conclusion to those two beliefs.
Sometimes emotion should not be trusted, like when you are on a long journey, the temptation to turn back might be something to reject.
You also might want to reject a logic that discourages you. "No man has ever done this." "You are a man" Conclusion; "You can't do this!"
This was a good question. Something to think about each time you make a decision in your life.

Answer 10

both are predominate but they should each be used at the right time. When making decisions, solving problems etc, logic is best, even if don't the logical thing isn't the same as you emotionally wish. emotions obscure judgment, that why "fool rush in" love and various emotions make people do things they wouldn't normally do. it is important to separate the two for your own good.

Answer 11

While in an emotional moment its possible not to be thinking clearly and thoroughly.... Logic is the process by which we take in consideration all our knowledge and experience and evaluate the evidence and facts and exclude emotions from the decision. Logic is a process of reasoning while emotion is a feeling which can not be reliable do to bias and is vulnerable to changes in feelings and outside influences.