Arathi Anand

To what extent are emotions and logical reasoning strong claims to knowledge and which one is
more favourable?

How does humanity reason to create answers which may conclude an argument, or even know
what to do in a tricky situation? This can come down to being knowledgeable of something. But what is
knowledge? Knowledge is broad and holds various factors, hence why there are multiple ways of
knowing (WOKs). One of the most well-known WOK can arguably be logic and reasoning, due to its
universal usage daily . Logical reasoning can be defined as ​"the process of using a rational, systematic
series of steps based on sound mathematical procedures and given statements to arrive at a
conclusion."1 A method as such should be one of the most intelligent ways of knowing as it can be used
broadly due to its practicality. However, how would this compare to emotion? What if logic and reasoning
were compared to emotion as a way of knowing to determine which was the superior claim to
knowledge? Emotions are still a mystery, as its source is still being researched. It could be said that
these two WOKs are on the opposite end of the knowledge spectrum, due to their extreme differences.
Emotion can be defined as a strong feeling such as anger, jealousy, and happiness as opposed to
logic's more analytical approach.

These two ways of knowing have always been pitted against each other, as humans themselves
have trouble deciding which to use in certain scenarios. Although this notion is a concept which is not yet
justified, it is very demonstratable. Emotions are said to ‘interfere’ with our rational thinking, and when
making knowledge claims, these feelings should be subdued, right? Various scenarios would require the
usage of each individual way of knowing. To test emotion as a claim to knowledge, a scene can be set in
place. Imagine you want to be married within a few years. How do you know you love the individual you
want to marry? In this case, it is highly improbable that someone would use their logic to stamp out
whether they are truly in love, as reason would not sway your decision or emotion in this case. Now if we
were to break down emotion into a more everyday concept we would see that it plays a significant role
daily. A couple of years ago, a neuroscientist Antonio Damasio made a groundbreaking discovery. He
conducted a study to investigate those with damage in the brain where emotions are generated. It was
discovered that they found “​making simple decisions, such as what to eat, very difficult​.”2 Everything else
was normal, but as they had no rational way to decide, these test subjects were unable to arrive at a
settlement. This demonstrates how emotions are needed for choosing, but it is often argued that it
choice is a logical decision. Nonetheless, emotions are arguably the main base of any choice.

Emotional decision making sounds quite undesirable, useless or even unhealthy. This is due to
the perception that individuals may make irrational decisions which are not thoroughly thought out. This
is a likely scenario as many tend to act out on rash short-term emotions which can lead us to make
choices that hurt our long-term interests. Transforming our desires in the heat of the moment is highly
irrational as this might not be what you intended to do when you were not emotionally riled up. Consider
a heated argument you had with a colleague. Would you have said regretful things that you wish you
could take back? A better option would have been to think about the implications of your words and the
future impact it would have had. Doing this takes heavy amounts of cognitive responses in thinking more
logically. Logical reasoning is used universally and in almost every concept. Imagine your friend john
had been murdered. You ring up the police immediately. What would you expect the police to do? It
would be expected that investigators would break down the scene logically. They would look into the

1
“Chegg.com.” Definition of Logical Reasoning | Chegg.com. Accessed November 26, 2019.
https://www.chegg.com/homework-help/definitions/logical-reasoning-63​.
2
Camp, Jim. “Decisions Are Largely Emotional, Not Logical.” Big Think. Big Think, November 13, 2019.
https://bigthink.com/experts-corner/decisions-are-emotional-not-logical-the-neuroscience-behind-decision-making​.
 Arathi Anand
time of murder, check security cameras to see who was at the crime scene, and so on. This is all done
through deductive reasoning. It is unlikely for emotion to be used as police would have to ensure that
they use solid evidence when presenting suspects to the court. However, the police might use their own
past emotional experiences and lawyers may use ‘gut-feeling’, but this is not justifiable, making such a
scenario frowned upon.

There is a lot of talk about the apparent feud between emotion and reason, but what about their
value when put together? I would say that these two are noticeable compliments for each other. This is
prevalent in an example of deforestation. It is common knowledge that trees take up carbon dioxide, and
turn it into oxygen. Now by pure reason, we should preserve our trees and plant more. Emotionally, we
would consider habitat loss of animals and other stakeholders and aspects, such as jobs. But what about
conflicts of choosing between the two? Visualize being trapped in a cramped cellar with neighbors.
Enemy soldiers are approaching, and your baby starts to scream. Do you keep its mouth covered so that
the soldiers don’t find and kill everyone? Or do you risk being caught? The social-emotional part of our
brain pushes us to be morally correct, whereas reasoning fights for the utilitarian good

Overall, emotion and logical reasoning are tied together. Even though they conflict with each
other, they are also complementary in many scenarios. Reasoning is used to justify an emotional
decision and emotion is used to justify a decision that came as a result of reasoning. Therefore,
stakeholders are at risk if both logic and emotion is not touched on. However, when it is unclear what is
better for our well-being, emotion seems to take over in formulating an answer, as is reflected in
Damasio’s theory. Analysing data in our lives is complicated as we would rely on an emotional push
which might sway us into a decision whether it be rational or irrational. Logical reasoning is justified
making it a safer bet when it comes to solving mathematical and scientific problems, but when it comes
to more real world situations, a mixture of emotion and logic need to be used for a better end claim to
knowledge.

Word count: 1010 (excluding quotes)

Bibliography:

● Camp, Jim. “Decisions Are Largely Emotional, Not Logical.” ​Big Think​, Big Think, 13
Nov. 2019,
https://bigthink.com/experts-corner/decisions-are-emotional-not-logical-the-neuroscience
-behind-decision-making​. Accessed 26 Nov. 2019.
● “Chegg.com.” ​Definition of Logical Reasoning | Chegg.com​,
https://www.chegg.com/homework-help/definitions/logical-reasoning-63​ Accessed 26
Nov. 2019.
● YouTube​, Avery h, ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5uXuTKzggc
.