Emotion vs Reason

Reflection for 15th April, 09


Emotion and Reason both play important roles in the process of knowing. They have varying roles in different Areas of knowledge. For example, reason plays a greater role in Physics than emotion does, and Emotion probably plays a greater role in the Arts than reason does. However, there is often a conflict between emotion and reason. At this point of time, if the knower follows reason his belief will be different from what his belief would have been if he had used emotion as a way of knowing.

In class today, we saw a video titled "The War between Emotion and Reason" which addresses this issue. (click here to view) This video depicts many instances when a person is facing a conflict between emotion and reason. Reason is generally in the driver's seat, with emotion seated behind. However, emotion itermittently feels the urge to take over by defeating reason. This causes the person to do things that may not be reasonable and the consequences of which may be harmful. For example, the baby that decides to roll down the stairs due to emotional excitement eventually hurts himself. Then the doctor shown is reason personified.

I think a bias has been created against emotion and for reason. The purpose of this is to influence the knower and to make him take their (the creators of this video) stand on the core issue of this video - which is world war 2. Whenthe viewer already has a bias against emotion, the video shows how Hitler, through his emotive words, signs and body language is inciting the emotions of a person. This makes emotion grow stronger in him, due to pride for his country, sympathy for the suffering of his countrymen, contempt against Jews; and also Britain and her allies for their exploitation of Germany. Thus, Emotion outgrows and defeats Reason, and the person becomes Hitler's follower.

However, reason, which is shown to the viewer as being the saviour, is now shown as driving an aircraft of the Allied Forces, along with emotion by his side, leading the fight against hitler. This definitely is a propaganda video, depicting the Allied forces as rational, reasonable and Hitler as controlled by emotion. However, I do not think that their reasons were more ethical than the emotions of pride used by Hitler. Their reasons were mainly the power and wealth of their countries, which was also based on the emotion of national pride.

Thus, in ethical terms, the Allied Powers are not any better than Hitler. History is always written by the victors of a war, as they control knowledge sources, and they have always written it in their favour, as they want to be perceived in good light.