(November 3, 2013 at 11:56 am)whateverist Wrote: Not directed to me but since I share Zazzy's perspective, I thought I'd respond.I agree. We often make decisions knowing full well they are based on emotion. Sometimes those are bad decisions (because emotion completely ignores reason in a way that hurts us- like staying with an abusive partner). Sometimes they are the right decisions because the emotion IS real. For instance, paying a great deal of money to go the symphony is not a wise financial decision for me. But if they're playing Beethoven, my emotion takes over and I buy the tickets- and I'm generally not sorry because it was a real experience- if an emotional one.
Do you really apply a test of reasonableness to everything you feel? I can understand applying it to feelings of apprehension toward what may be under the bed or in the closet. But those sorts of baseless fears are anomalies for the most part. Feeling serves many purposes.
Feeling informs you what is interesting, what has meaning for you, who you respect, who you feel affection toward and much more.
We don't willfully control our feeling but we always act on its behalf in one way or another. If we are suspicious of feelings in general, then we are acting on behalf of our fears (irrational in this case). The correct use of feeling is to guide reason, not the other way around.
Lots of religious people navigate the line between emotion and reason I think in the same way everybody navigates those lines. This particular emotion isn't one I share, but that doesn't make it more unreasonable than the other intangible feelings we have.
Raeven Wrote:Here's an example of what I'm talking about: Years ago when I lived alone, I had a hard time going to take a shower by myself. Credit movies like Psycho. I could FEEL so strongly that there was someone else creeping up on me that I would frequently peek around the edge of the shower curtain to make sure I was still alone. I KNEW my feelings were unreasonable. My reason told me so. The facts told me so. I had no basis whatsoever for my feelings that I was being prowled by a homicidal maniac... but my actions were nonetheless dictated by my unreasonable feelings. They were sometimes so strong that I would leave the shower dripping wet to reconnoiter the house before returning to finish up. They were so strong that I eventually purchased a clear plastic shower curtain so nothing would sneak up on me. (By the way, my reason was always correct. I was always alone!)I know exactly what you mean with this- I am still afraid of the monster under the bed that might grab my foot at night if it's uncovered.
I've lived alone for long stretches in my life and owing to widowhood have now lived alone for most of the past 6 years (1 year exception) without necessity of a clear shower curtain or any sense of homicidal maniacs lurking about while I shower. I only share this dreary story as a means of demonstrating that our FEELINGS can be very powerful -- so much that they even dictate behaviors which are fully unreasonable in light of the facts. And I'm sure you can think of similar examples in your own life.
My point is, when you know your feelings may lead you astray, it leaves only reason and factual evidence to rely upon for truth. Hence the term, "reasonable."
We all have these experiences, but in them we're not totally convinced by them. If you were totally convinced that a murderer was in your house, you'd act very differently (and it would be reasonable for you to act defensively). Many religious people are, or seem, totally convinced by the emotional experience of their deity. I'm convinced that my sweetheart loves me. I can't know it for sure, and all tests of reason bear it out- but he MIGHT be planning to kill me with his 22 year old stripper girlfriend for insurance money. My belief that he loves me is based on reason AND emotion, and I might be wrong. I sure hope not, though.
