Emotions vs. Reason

[minacia]

Which side do you tend to value more?

Depending on what kind of culture you grew up in, you may have been told that being emotional is bad (or weak). Emotions can lead people to do stupid things.

On the other hand, if we were only rational, then all of us would be robots.

Is your writing more emotional or rational?

Do you tend to prefer more emotional character or rational characters?

Is it possible to be both extremely emotional and extremely rational?

 

[OkuraTsukiko]

Actually, my writing consists of both traits, while some characters deal with their problems with emotions. Some used their brains to think about it rationally with logical reasons.

I'm saying that on familial problems, I tend to get emotional. But to other problems, I would think about it with a more rational and collected mind

I think it's possible, extremely emotional is like cutting off an important person such as family out of our lives (in my opinion). While extremely rational is all logic, not affected even if someone pleads for their life, they would stick to their answer no matter what.

 

[Leti]

Emotions can lead people to do stupid things.

You just summarized the entire plot of my story in one sentence.

Is your writing more emotional or rational?

Yes.

you tend to prefer more emotional character or rational characters?

I prefer characters who unalived themselves when I told them to.

Is it possible to be both extremely emotional and extremely rational?

It is impossible to be extremely rational without being extremely emotional. Rationality can't exists without emotion.

 

[minacia]

It is impossible to be extremely rational without being extremely emotional. Rationality can't exists without emotion.

Can you explain this more?

 

[Leti]

Can you explain this more?

Emotions are required for people to act rationally. They won't know what could be considered emotional if they don't know what emotion is.

 

[EternalSunset0]

Personally, I feel that reason is a lot cooler. I always liked the more level-headed characters in media, may it be anime, novels, movies, etc. The dark, broody ones. Or the more cynical than moral ones. I tend to like them more. It's often the blue rival that I like more than the red hero in anime, for one.

Sasuke over Naruto, Iron Man over Captain America, etc.

However, I personally find myself impulsive. I'm very much an introvert who prefers to leave everything alone and not mind others, but when something starts to concern and affect me, I tend to be more impulsive and emotional in how I react to change. A bit stupid at times, yeah. Then when I sit back five minutes later, there's the feeling of "Damn, how dumb was I?" or "Why the hell did I do that?" kicking in at times.

Given the genre of my story, I find the story beats more emotional and optimistic. Even naive at times, with those shounen "moral lessons" like bonds, being true to yourself, not giving up, and acceptance, each being given their own volume. However, my main character is quite cynical and distant, and very much reactive.

I don't think it's a case of one or the other for the both sides. You can both, with certain situations changing your leanings for the specific instance.

 

[Jessie_Emilyn]

I think you can be both but it tends to be a focus on one more than another and you can value one but have it the lesser force. Like wanting to use logic but emotions get in the way or too sensible to let emotions get in the way. I guess I value logic more but that doesn't mean I think emotions are bad, just sometimes they can be problematic. They are pretty opposite forces. Without logic we remove discovery, science and a lot more but without emotion we remove things like enjoyment, enrichment and art. They are a sort of yin and yang in a lot of ways and both can be bad. There are many negative emotions and sometimes logic can lead to wrong and outright harmful options since logic can have limitations. Imagine you believe something but then you logic it away and feel loss, you could share that knowledge and that can do both good and bad, maybe you don't want people to have ignorance but that ignorance gave your life more meaning and enjoyment. It can become an ignorance is bliss moment.

The best way to use logic can often be shaped by emotions, I feel the sadness of others and so I want to help them, I wish to examine myself and improve myself due to my feelings leading me to it and such. Think of it as logic can give you the tools and knowledge but emotions can give you the materials, the drive to do something. Emotions can temper our logic and help guide it down a better path that might be illogical. I don't think logic requires emotions and sometimes it will completely go against it.

I can't even say I have felt all emotions but many stories are greatly improved by the emotions that people can add to them, the logic just keeps it together more however. I guess taken to extremes they do inhibit each other a bit, there is only a certain amount of energy you can add so by using more logic you will often use less emotion and the reverse is the same but the flexibility to switch can be a powerful thing.

 

[RepresentingCaution]

I've got some of both. Usually, emotions are the reason we make logical justifications for our desires in the first place.

 

[CupcakeNinja]

Which side do you tend to value more?

Depending on what kind of culture you grew up in, you may have been told that being emotional is bad (or weak). Emotions can lead people to do stupid things.

On the other hand, if we were only rational, then all of us would be robots.

Is your writing more emotional or rational?

Do you tend to prefer more emotional character or rational characters?

Is it possible to be both extremely emotional and extremely rational?

my writing is definitely more emotional. My characters are all rather expressive. Like, colorful, you know? They got a lot of...personality.

But that aside, as a whole? Im more rational. I value reason over emotion.

Lemme explain. See, anyone here can tell easily that I'm a colorful dude myself. i say shit in a certain way that is heavily "emotional" or maybe even "raw" or perhaps could be taken as "crude"

But the way i say things doesn't mean that the content of what I'm saying isn't reasonable in itself. And i, myself, am a very reasonable and open minded person. I mean Ace once said he usually agrees with everything i say, but not HOW i say it. Which is fair.

It goes beyond me being a reasonable guy in terms of what i say, though. It extents to how i treat people. That, too, is also very "reasonable"

For example lets say me and you get into a very heated argument. We just cant agree. Anyway the argument goes on and on and we start being really toxic to each other. Calling each other names, being really mean, diverging from the topic.

Now, the conversation eventually ends. We both hate each other now, don't we? Nope. Imma see you again in some other comment section for some other story and act as if the previous argument never even happened, because i ain't gonna hold it against you that your opinion was different from mine. If i disagree with what you say next time we meet, then I'll speak up about it. But I'm not going to hate on you for a conversation we had over some completely different topic.

Thats just how i am. Thats reasonable, isn't it? That i don't bring in negativity from a past conversation with you, that i don't treat you badly for however awful that discussion went. Thats fair, right?

But other people arent like that, usually. They'll hold a grudge. And I've had it happen where some guy i previously argued with found me in some other comment section and just started talking shit to me. So it does happen. But personally i don't pull that kinda shit. I keep things separate. That's what i mean when i say im "reasonable."

Other people arent so forgiving. And im always kinds disappointed by that. But its not like i hold it against them either, because i realize im not like most people in this regard. I wont hold you to my standard. Im human too, its not like i don't understand why you'd hold a grudge. Its normal.

I'm the abnormal one not to. I know that. But that said, im also a stoner so i just take a few puffs of some Blueberry Daydream and im chill as fuck for the next hour. So, heh. That may also be why i don't hold grudges. Im too baked to!

 

[minacia]

my writing is definitely more emotional. My characters are all rather expressive. Like, colorful, you know? They got a lot of...personality.

But that aside, as a whole? Im more rational. I value reason over emotion.

Lemme explain. See, anyone here can tell easily that I'm a colorful dude myself. i say shit in a certain way that is heavily "emotional" or maybe even "raw" or perhaps could be taken as "crude"

But the way i say things doesn't mean that the content of what I'm saying isn't reasonable in itself. And i, myself, am a very reasonable and open minded person. I mean Ace once said he usually agrees with everything i say, but not HOW i say it. Which is fair.

It goes beyond me being a reasonable guy in terms of what i say, though. It extents to how i treat people. That, too, is also very "reasonable"

For example lets say me and you get into a very heated argument. We just cant agree. Anyway the argument goes on and on and we start being really toxic to each other. Calling each other names, being really mean, diverging from the topic.

Now, the conversation eventually ends. We both hate each other now, don't we? Nope. Imma see you again in some other comment section for some other story and act as if the previous argument never even happened, because i ain't gonna hold it against you that your opinion was different from mine. If i disagree with what you say next time we meet, then I'll speak up about it. But I'm not going to hate on you for a conversation we had over some completely different topic.

Thats just how i am. Thats reasonable, isn't it? That i don't bring in negativity from a past conversation with you, that i don't treat you badly for however awful that discussion went. Thats fair, right?

But other people arent like that, usually. They'll hold a grudge. And I've had it happen where some guy i previously argued with found me in some other comment section and just started talking shit to me. So it does happen. But personally i don't pull that kinda shit. I keep things separate. That's what i mean when i say im "reasonable."

Other people arent so forgiving. And im always kinds disappointed by that. But its not like i hold it against them either, because i realize im not like most people in this regard. I wont hold you to my standard. Im human too, its not like i don't understand why you'd hold a grudge. Its normal.

I'm the abnormal one not to. I know that. But that said, im also a stoner so i just take a few puffs of some Blueberry Daydream and im chill as fuck for the next hour. So, heh. That may also be why i don't hold grudges. Im too baked to!

I like this part of you!

Personally, I feel that reason is a lot cooler. I always liked the more level-headed characters in media, may it be anime, novels, movies, etc. The dark, broody ones. Or the more cynical than moral ones. I tend to like them more. It's often the blue rival that I like more than the red hero in anime, for one.

Sasuke over Naruto, Iron Man over Captain America, etc.

Huuh, but for some reason I always think of Sasuke as more edgy... more emotional...? Even though he doesn't show it or at least tries to suppress it? To me, attempting to suppress emotion counts as peak emotional content! XD

Or maybe my understanding of Naruto is off...

Emotions are required for people to act rationally. They won't know what could be considered emotional if they don't know what emotion is.

I think I'm still confused... because when rational, I think logic... which is...

As in... formal logic is strictly mathematical, like:

If A is true, therefore B

It's provable and deterministic. Basically, I really do think it's possible for computers to calculate a rational action (although the realistic issue is that it's difficult to formulate real world problems with all of its complexities into a mathematic/probabilistic fashion... although some people try their best with bayesian reasoning...)

 

[Leti]

I think I'm still confused... because when rational, I think logic... which is...


View attachment 5532

As in... formal logic is strictly mathematical, like:

If A is true, therefore B

It's provable and deterministic. Basically, I really do think it's possible for computers to calculate a rational action (although the realistic issue is that it's difficult to formulate real world problems with all of its complexities into a mathematic/probabilistic fashion... although some people try their best with bayesian reasoning...)

You are speaking the language of gods

 

[EternalSunset0]

Huuh, but for some reason I always think of Sasuke as more edgy... more emotional...? Even though he doesn't show it or at least tries to suppress it? To me, attempting to suppress emotion counts as peak emotional content! XD

Or maybe my understanding of Naruto is off...

Well, that's a certain way to look at it. You're right in that sense I guess haha.

 

[DubstheDuke]

I am an extremely rational person but I can get oddly emotional about very specific things, so I would say both are very important. I think it's much more important to be able to push aside emotions and focus on the logical decision, however I won't say that we should just completely ignore emotions I guess. We should address them, because logically if we don't then that could create issues. Or something.

 

[Luxican]

Which side do you tend to value more?

Depending on what kind of culture you grew up in, you may have been told that being emotional is bad (or weak). Emotions can lead people to do stupid things.

On the other hand, if we were only rational, then all of us would be robots.

Is your writing more emotional or rational?

Do you tend to prefer more emotional character or rational characters?

Is it possible to be both extremely emotional and extremely rational?

1. I genuinely don't know, I think it's a mixture with mostly emotional influences.

2. Both the same, although I make my MC usually emotional, because it's easier to write and my lack of brains isn't so obvious...

3.Of course, I myself tend to think about things really rationally, before overthinking and forgetting what I thought off, finally just making a 'fuck it' decision

 

[Kldran]

Emotions give you goals. Reason tells you how to get there. If these are in conflict, something has gone wrong. If reason is dominating emotion, then you are not serving your own interests. If emotion dominates reason, then you are lost.

 

[BenJepheneT]

I'mma tell you this: seeing a rational guy end up emotional over something distressful enough to flip his switch is always satisfying.

Like Gon when the cat didn't heal Kite before the little girl.

Gon's not rational by any means but I'm talking about THAT kind of an emotional switch.

Fucking satisfying.

 

[SternenklarenRitter]

I once heard a neurologist describe emotive and logical thinking as entirely different processes occurring in entirely separate parts of the brain that go to a great deal of trouble not to get in each other's way. This is why, they said, it is so easy to use either one or the other in a given situation. It felt weird to hear that; like they were saying that since your feet are designed not to trip each other, it is easier to go up and down stairs by hopping on one foot. I believe that emotion and logic are meant to be used together, and that doing so takes a bit of practice, but will take us to much greater heights of wisdom and intuition that either ever could alone.