Theory of Knowledge: Evaluate the ways in which emotion might enhance and/or undermine reasoning as a way of knowing
Most of us would answer the question of from where you make your decisions with my head
or brain. Not with the heart, or how they feel about the situation. What many of us do not
consider is the fact that our emotions do play a big role within our thinking. Even if we do not
realise it, emotion influences our knowledge.
The definition of emotion is: a strong and instinctive feeling. And should be distinguished
from reasoning or logic. As there are several ways of knowing, such as authority, faith, or
practice there is also the way of knowing by instinct; for example breathing, as we
breath unconsciously from birth on. And so do we feel. We cannot switch off our feelings or
change them as we want to, we have an instinct, such as the feeling of joy and so we are
happy. We do not think logically when we feel, but is 'knowing instinctively' then
comparable with knowing through logic? And do emotions increase the extent compatible for
the way of thinking? -Or do they weaken it?
The emotion of feeling love is rather delicate, because in some cases, it both
advances, but as well weakens our way of thinking, for example, when we are with a person
we trust, a person we love, then even in a situation where we would usually feel fear, we feel
secure. I have read this book called just a love story, by Haruki Maraca. When the major
character, Toru is talking with his beloved girl about a dangerous forest, back in Japan, and
she subsequently says, " With you by my side I do not fright anything". Taking this girl, as an
example, to show the change of thinking through ones emotion: alone in the forest, she would
be scared. But accompanied by Toru her emotion, love, instinctively makes her feel
comfortable so there is no reason to be frightened. This increases our knowledge, having faith
in someone trough our emotion, in this book, she knows that he will protect her, has faith in
him. On the other side, our logical thinking will suffer from the emotion, not
or brain. Not with the heart, or how they feel about the situation. What many of us do not
consider is the fact that our emotions do play a big role within our thinking. Even if we do not
realise it, emotion influences our knowledge.
The definition of emotion is: a strong and instinctive feeling. And should be distinguished
from reasoning or logic. As there are several ways of knowing, such as authority, faith, or
practice there is also the way of knowing by instinct; for example breathing, as we
breath unconsciously from birth on. And so do we feel. We cannot switch off our feelings or
change them as we want to, we have an instinct, such as the feeling of joy and so we are
happy. We do not think logically when we feel, but is 'knowing instinctively' then
comparable with knowing through logic? And do emotions increase the extent compatible for
the way of thinking? -Or do they weaken it?
The emotion of feeling love is rather delicate, because in some cases, it both
advances, but as well weakens our way of thinking, for example, when we are with a person
we trust, a person we love, then even in a situation where we would usually feel fear, we feel
secure. I have read this book called just a love story, by Haruki Maraca. When the major
character, Toru is talking with his beloved girl about a dangerous forest, back in Japan, and
she subsequently says, " With you by my side I do not fright anything". Taking this girl, as an
example, to show the change of thinking through ones emotion: alone in the forest, she would
be scared. But accompanied by Toru her emotion, love, instinctively makes her feel
comfortable so there is no reason to be frightened. This increases our knowledge, having faith
in someone trough our emotion, in this book, she knows that he will protect her, has faith in
him. On the other side, our logical thinking will suffer from the emotion, not