RE: Does the head follow the heart in matters of truth?
March 15, 2018 at 6:05 pm
(This post was last modified: March 15, 2018 at 8:01 pm by vulcanlogician.)
Over the entrance to his academy, Plato had a sign which read, "Let no one ignorant of geometry pass through these gates." I think it is important to consider things like mathematics when we compare logic to emotion. Math is purely logical. That's pretty clear, isn't it? Math doesn't allow for one's feelings to enter into its processes. Nobody gets emotional over an equation... even word problems... we don't really care about the contents of the word problem, we just look for the logically relevant parts.
In the same way, as Khem pointed out earlier, logic attempts to afford us a vision of the world unobscured by the fog of our emotions.
I've had my mind changed by logical arguments. The question is: were these arguments really appealing to my logical sense?-- or were they merely playing on my emotional affinity for the conclusion? After some reflection, I would have to say the former, at least in most cases that come to mind.
In short, attempting to be logical is to try to bring mathematical precision into one's assessment of the world. It is putting the emotional sense in check.
What makes Alpha's statement so powerful is that, deep down, we trust our hearts more. We want our emotions to be right. When logic confirms what we intuit emotionally, we experience a sense of triumph. When logic disproves something in which we have an emotional investment, we experience a sense of loss.
So, yes, we are essentially emotional beings. Emotion is a great force within us and makes up more of who we are than our logical selves. I'd like to mention Plato again, because he was quite aware of this aspect in human beings. In his allegory of the chariot, he likened the human psyche to a chariot. The two horses of the chariot represent desire and emotion. The charioteer represents logic. To Plato, a wise individual is one who's logical part learns how to steer the tempramental horses effectively. Embedded in Plato's allegory is the notion that our emotion and desire are far stronger in us than logic and reason. Logic cannot power the chariot into forward motion like desire and emotion can. But, nonetheless, unless our desire and emotion is "reined in" and "kept on a path" our lives will utterly lack direction and easily stray off course. So it is with the pursuit of truth.
In the same way, as Khem pointed out earlier, logic attempts to afford us a vision of the world unobscured by the fog of our emotions.
I've had my mind changed by logical arguments. The question is: were these arguments really appealing to my logical sense?-- or were they merely playing on my emotional affinity for the conclusion? After some reflection, I would have to say the former, at least in most cases that come to mind.
In short, attempting to be logical is to try to bring mathematical precision into one's assessment of the world. It is putting the emotional sense in check.
What makes Alpha's statement so powerful is that, deep down, we trust our hearts more. We want our emotions to be right. When logic confirms what we intuit emotionally, we experience a sense of triumph. When logic disproves something in which we have an emotional investment, we experience a sense of loss.
So, yes, we are essentially emotional beings. Emotion is a great force within us and makes up more of who we are than our logical selves. I'd like to mention Plato again, because he was quite aware of this aspect in human beings. In his allegory of the chariot, he likened the human psyche to a chariot. The two horses of the chariot represent desire and emotion. The charioteer represents logic. To Plato, a wise individual is one who's logical part learns how to steer the tempramental horses effectively. Embedded in Plato's allegory is the notion that our emotion and desire are far stronger in us than logic and reason. Logic cannot power the chariot into forward motion like desire and emotion can. But, nonetheless, unless our desire and emotion is "reined in" and "kept on a path" our lives will utterly lack direction and easily stray off course. So it is with the pursuit of truth.
