How to have peace

[Neith]

It seems to me that with most logical questions, rationality is superior to emotions. We all face the difficulties of this path, in different ways (for example, my violent and unstable reaction to Nightwish -- just kidding).

:Smokin:

When people propose that we breed other humans simply for looks or intelligence and that advocate the rest should be killed or sterilized I always view this is with emotions because although perhaps it is a good idea from a rational point of view (I disagree on this point anyway), there is simply no way that it could ever happen as people are simply not designed to think and act without using their emotions. For example, would you really hand over your family and perhaps yourself to be gassed or shot because your too dumb or too ugly? Few people could do this.

 

[infoterror]

people are simply not designed to think and act without using their emotions

This is where self-discipline comes in. We want to be greater than humans/animals, do we not?

 

[Norsemaiden]

Neith - Eugenics does not have to involve violence. In fact it is the dysgenics that we have at the moment that causes, and will further cause, untold mysery, pain and suffering.

 

[Lord SteveO]

Still, going through yuor life avoiding your emotions and trying to suppress then in some attempt at being more "rational" or "logical" is pretty stupid.
Emotions are what make us humans, if we ignore them then we are just like any other ape or lower even.
To use you emotions to decide on something does not mean you are any lower form of life or less self-disciplined, it means you can act like a real human being.

 

[infoterror]

To use you emotions to decide on something does not mean you are any lower form of life or less self-disciplined, it means you can act like a real human being.

Here, use your emotions to debug this computer code. Good luck!

I'm not saying don't have emotions; merely that they don't apply in any circumstance, and you want to act logically in response to them.

 

[LORD_RED_DRAGON]

you seem to be the one who agrees with your favourite person on a more frequent basis than anyone else.

yeah
now
the people mindlessly agreeing with posts that they didn't understand was happening a lot when i first started posting here (look through all of the threads that have been locked/closed)

 

[Norsemaiden]

Still, going through yuor life avoiding your emotions and trying to suppress then in some attempt at being more "rational" or "logical" is pretty stupid.
Emotions are what make us humans, if we ignore them then we are just like any other ape or lower even.
To use you emotions to decide on something does not mean you are any lower form of life or less self-disciplined, it means you can act like a real human being.

Our emotions are an expression of our instincts and as such are evolved to be helpful for survival, yet things are not that simple. Ideally you should use your rationale to figure out whether your emotions are sensible at any time. Manipulating emotions is a commonly used trick to control the masses. It is the rabbit that is always pulled out of the hat when your rulers want to get involved in a war. The propaganda on the media plays on your emotions far more than it tries to appeal to your sense of logic. These are things we must guard against.

I don't get the bit about being more ape-like if you don't have emotions. Animals do have emotions and are not capable of logical thought anywhere near the extent that humans are.

The Vulcan race in Star Trek are supposed to be more advanced than humans, and supposedly had evolved past having emotions (which are considered a human failing). It is a nonsense however to imagine an intelligent life form with no emotions at all. For example, the ability to enjoy things or maintain a level of cheerfulness is essential to the will to live and all creatures have to have it.

 

[steel102]

i guess my question is what is more human: succumbing to our emotions and natural instincts, or using our (supposed) higher intellect to make rational decisions?

 

[infoterror]

i guess my question is what is more human: succumbing to our emotions and natural instincts, or using our (supposed) higher intellect to make rational decisions?

Maybe it's simpler: have all the emotions you want, but be disciplined by logic in what you do -- after all, the world is a logical place.

 

[Mormagil]

i'm amazed that you actually had to spell that out for people.

 

[steel102]

well that's what i meant implicitly. obviously its pretty difficult to supresss all emotions, but the difference is 'disclipining yourself using logic,' as you said. i guess theres not really much to debate here haha.