"Logic and Affectivity: Paths of Knowledge"

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Today's reflection makes a case for a balance between -- or perhaps something more complicated -- logic and affection, reason and emotion.

It seems like a good goal to keep a balance between these two opposites, to judge and choose based on logic and the head versus deciding with the heart.

But perhaps this term "balance" prejudices us toward the higher good: letting our emotions inform our logic and our logic guide our emotions.  The idea of balance acknowledges that there is a problem with too pure an expression of either, but rather than thinking of them as opposites, why should we not think of them as partners?

We feel for someone deeply, and it is right to act on that, but we should welcome logic into the equation so that we can do good cleverly.  So that we do more good than harm rather than blundering in in our eagerness to feel relief from the painful emotions in our hearts.

We might even be at our best selves when we are capable of deciding, calmly and without fear or anger or even individual sympathy, the best path for all -- however painful to ourselves and perhaps even to others.  But our judgment of the best path will undoubtedly be founded on our emotional empathy, or it is little more than rationalization and self-righteousness.  Or worse -- a mind game.

There's nothing wrong with acting from emotion, as long as you are thinking through the actual consequences of your actions.  There's nothing wrong with deciding what the great good for all is rationally and calmly, as long as you evaluated the greatest good with compassion and love.

I've had two recent events in my life that provoked a severe emotional response -- really three, if you count one that's been building for awhile -- that I won't go into because they are private matters that do not only concern me.  The first flood of response is emotional, but I am glad that I had the time to reflect and apply logic in the scenarios (for the most part).  Not because it balanced my emotional response, but because it informed it.  Because it partnered it.  Not control and not balance -- partnership.

Lessons I hope I remember next time, when their may not be so much time to reflect and plan.