Friday, June 19, 2020
Emotions or Rational Thinking?
One of my "Room for Debate" articles was "Does Empathy Guide or Hinder Moral Action?". On the one side, Jamil Zaki argues that empathy makes us good people and helps us make the right choices because we feel for others. On the other hand, Paul Bloom states that empathy can skew our vision by making it biased, so empathy often leads to wrong choices, and logic should be used instead. This made me think about whether compassion or logic is better for making the right decisions. Compassion makes you feel for others and makes you want to act, but logic makes you think what will benefit everyone instead of this one person, or for the greater good. So my question is does emotions or rational thought better for us as a society? Which way of thinking would be more beneficial for humans? Why? (Yes a mix of the two would be best, but if you could only choose one, which one?)
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Hi Matthew, I also read the same article you chose but before I answer your question, I wanted to talk about some additional implications of empathy. The vulnerability that comes with being empathetic can be exploited, and I think a good example of this would be when politicians play to voters' feelings to swing them in a certain direction. Additionally, when making important decisions, there are some situations where being empathetic is not helpful. Bloom brought up this example: imagine a therapist feeling so much compassion and empathy for their patient that they too are overcome with emotions; it would just be ineffective. Rationality, especially when it comes to making objective choices, is best exemplified when our emotions are detached. Taking moral action based on how someone feels could be biased, so ultimately I would choose logic. Emotional disconnect does not mean that you have to be cold and callous, rather it allows you to understand reason from an objective standpoint.
ReplyDeleteHey Matthew! In response to your question, "are emotions or rational thoughts better for us as a society," I believe that rational decisions are more appropriate regarding society as a whole. For any situation, logic and reason involves a step by step manner that takes into account different aspects of a problem to reach a solution best suited altogether. Previously, you stated, "compassion makes you feel for others and makes you want to act," and for that exact statement, compassion is often paired with pity. When you empathize someone's situation and then act upon it simply because you feel bad, that's when compassion becomes pity; and when pity is involved in decision making, it tends to cloud rationality and results in biased decisions. Ultimately, while it’s almost impossible to make any ethical decision without any emotional ties, all decisions should at least try to be made logically to focus on benefiting all of society.
ReplyDeleteI agree with my fellow classmates that it's better for us as humans, as well as a society, for logic and rational thinking to rule. My dad has always told me, "never let your heart rule your head". It's when we become emotionally invested in something that our heart rules our head. Our judgment becomes poor and clouded, and we begin to ignore blemishes and forgive faults. Just because we are old enough or allowed to do something, doesn't mean we are ready for it. It's important not to jump into something and act on impulse, but rather decide on facts and logic.
ReplyDeleteHey Matthew! Like my fellow peers, I too agree that rational thinking rather than emotions would be better for society as a whole. When using your emotions, it is often based on your own experiences, thus making your decisions biased because not everyone goes through the same life experiences as you. People will often see you as being vulnerable and soft when you use your emotions to base your decisions on as well. When you are vulnerable, people could play on your emotions to make you believe whatever they want you to believe. That’s why I believe that using logical thinking rather than being empathetic would be more beneficial for humans because you are considering everyone in the situation rather than one side.
ReplyDeleteIf you have to choose, rational thought is the best way to go. Emotion indeed allows our opinions to be swayed while rational thought allows us to make careful decisions that could benefit both us and others. Basing your choices solely on emotion allows us to be manipulated into choosing one that may not be right for the situation at hand. But analyzing both sides allows us to be more clear and precise. Emotion is useful at times, but vulnerability can cause determinantal problems if not careful. That's why it is best to go with the rational route instead of basing your choice on a biased opinion.
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