Theory of Knowledge: Emotion and Reason in Evolving Moral Decisions - Essay Example

Theory of Knowledge: Emotion and Reason in Evolving Moral Decisions The question whether Reason and emotion are factors necessary in justifying moral decisions deserves a through going discussion. Obviously enough, the inadequacy of a few pages will definitely shrink its scope. However, to begin with, one must approach the topic in question from the vantage point of how various academic disciplines approach. It , then it give rise to a polemic ie both reason and emotion are fundamentally centered on individual sphere. The moral aspects are in part individualist in nature while still they are essentially bound to the social forces like religion and cultural values. In short, one has to admit the topic has various dimensions. As for the present study, we have to narrow it down, with out encroaching upon the boundaries like psychology or sociology, to the philosophical musing, and also exploring further to ascertain how far reason and emotion can have say on moral decisions. Hence, our focus must be on each of these key factors, reason, emotion and moral decisions. Reason or rational thinking is a driving force and is one among the factors that distinguishes human from other flora and fauna. Biologically speaking it is a commendable faculty that human brain has cultivated through various cultural, religious, ethical and political experiences. It is the observant and wary eye of human mind that evaluates a given situation or anything that is put in its scanner. Taking stock of the given factor or situations, obviously illustrates the knowledge base of the mind. Subsequently mind can have reliable comprehension of the topic to be focused. Being rational simply can be attributed to the qualities like observation, evaluation or close monitoring and eventually arriving at a conclusion. The process of arriving at a conclusion is almost borders up on evolving a judgment on the topic being put under the scanner of reason. While considering reason with various academic disciplines especially like, mathematics, social science, history, empiricism one can say infallibly that reason has major say on decision making process. To put in other words, it would be almost impossible to make hasty conclusion in these topics, where the focus is necessarily to be on amassing the available materials and after having a full-length knowledge of them, one can proceed to solve or make conclusions of a given topic. It would be appropriate to have an example in place to illustrate this point further; how can one solve the hypothesis “every action has an equal or an opposite reaction” without being rational. As for moral decisions they are obviously dependent on the moral tenets that the individual mind has inculcated over the years. The presence of a plethora of moral tenets is often tantamount to a system, which the individual mind can approach emotionally alone. So, it is obvious that one can not dismiss the unassailable influence that the moral values and ethics have pertinently on emotions. and its impact on reason is often inconsequential. They are(moral tenets), for the most part, sacrosanct edicts, how ever not written, which the individual mind willingly absorbs from the living environment. In some cases individual mind chooses to cultivate something in its own way, perhaps in such cases one hardly finds them having anything in common with religious, or cultural morals, or whatever. It is then solely based on intuitions. So what is moral decision? The term morality is essentially associated with standards or principles that will guide individual in right and wrong associated with his or her life in the context of the intercourse with society where fellow individual can have similar possibilities. But it gives rise to a significant question how far reason and emotion can exert influence upon the individual life where one will find facing the moral decision making as inevitable. One has to approach this intricate polemics only with a prior knowledge of what reason and emotion are; as for reason we have discussed it in detail. Emotions apparently have their breeding ground in the individual mind and it is not entirely psychological in its content as factors of various kinds can have their say up on it, and such elements are often moral, ethical and religious in character. These are catalytic in their influences. To make it obvious, the catalytic force of, for instance, religion or politics can make one emotional if the person in question has any ardently vowed allegiance to them. So he may turn turbulent when his or her hitherto held views and beliefs are challenged. Therefore the moral decisions are evidently associated with the emotional aspects and to expect on the contrary is very much negligible. one can reaffirm the fact that the role of emotion on moral decisions are strong and much of moral qualities are existing simply because the individual care to maintain them with such an obsessive emotional attitude to them. As for reason and its say on moral decisions, one can understand without doubt that reason has a definite say on moral decisions. It can be seen vividly if anyone argues for his/her stand on any particular decision in which moral elements are included. Then what in fact he or she does is to declare the stance from the solid rational ground, which one finds right. After all, morality is all about how a particular person or a group associates certain factors as to whether right or wrong, and it is mostly, based on a solid rational ground. So the question whether reason and emotion are necessary for moral decisions can be answered on the base of the level of clarity that one can achieve by being rational. For better clarity in understanding a particular topic or subject, one needs to analyze it by taking its kernel and delving deep into its core. So while being faced with the challenge of taking a crucial decision on ethical or moral topics one can see how much grasp one has on the topic and what kind of implications that the decision can invite. While considering the second point in question, “emotion” and its clout on moral decision making one can see for oneself that in moral topics we tend to be emotional. Emotion is a concomitant aspect in moral values , since moral values are not written edicts but it has both emotional and rational elements of its own. while asking somebody to field to his or her opinion on death penalty,one can see people are differing and a plethora of views will flood . Each of them may be right in its own way but while taking a decision the concerned authority necessarily arrive at a conclusion after analyzing all differing and compatible views .The process of weeding out undesirable and unacceptable stances and views necessarily go in for the support of both reason and emotion, otherwise the decision may be either biased or short-sighted. So one has to go through the tiring process of analyzing conflicting views and contradicting ideas, and in such contexts, the facile tools that one can put in place is both reason and emotion. Eventually one should go, for both clarity and precision, through the process what Nicholas Alchin rightly puts, “once you should drawn put the abstract of TOK principles you should tray to see the what the implications are, and perhaps use these implications to reflect the validity of the principles”(http:uwca.org.uk/acad thok/tentips_phtm.) It goes with out saying that both emotion and reason play such a tremendous role in evolving moral decisions, or else it may sound impossible to propound a opinion or decision that is well thought and well evaluated and analyzed. Read More