I believe that the mind should rule the heart. The heart often acts as a check, to make an emotional justification. If we give in to feeling and the influence of other people, the decisions we make are not fully our own, and the result is not always what we want. Our principles are our interpretation of what is right and what is wrong, if we developed them ourselves or were taught them. The interpretations are personal, and value of the principles can only be judged by that individual. We cannot escape feeling and emotion. An experience, or an emotion might have developed a principle that we follow. Taking the example of love. Love is rationally a chemical released by the brain. Still it has a very strong influence on what we feel, and the decisions we make Emotions are based on emotions, in this case love. We might have become heart broken, an emotion that may
have a strong effect. Feeling hurt and rejected, we base principle on the emotion of rejection. We might never learn to trust or love again, based purely on these emotions and the specific incident. Rationally we know that not all women are evil, and that we are not as selfish as they say we are, but we are overwhelmed by the emotion, and as a result of this develop an irrational belief. Our ethics are changed, and we no longer trust women. The decision might not be fully rational, but this is because our principles are distorted or altered because of this emotion. In this example emotion becomes a very influential part of our ethical judgement, but it may vary from person to person and the situation in hand. Another person might have a great experience with women, believing that women can be trusted and are caring. Another might have ethics that say one bad experience does not mean that all women have to be alike. The situation and person have a large impact on the emotions that influence ethics and principles. I believe the
mind should rule the heart, another might believe that you should follow your feelings in order to make the right decision. The extend to which these emotions effect our ethics is different from person to person.
The position of the person, might build up different ethics, and might be immune to emotions, or might be more open to emotions. A military general would react very differently to emotion compared to a counsellor for single mothers. The general will base all his decisions on efficiency and advance. He would be less influenced by the emotions of the mothers of his soldiers. Even if these mothers protested against a war, and that their sons had been fighting too long, the general bases his decisions on the efficiency of his troops, and what would be best for the army as a whole. This doesn’t mean that he doesn’t feel the cry of the mothers, but based on this principles and ethics, the emotion does not influence his decisions as an army man. In this case, the emotions play a very
small role in the ethics and judgement of the general.
In the case of the Single Mothers Counsellor, the ethics are a feature of understanding and help others. Here, the emotions as the factor that decide what to do. A patient might have gone through a painful divorce, so the counsellor suggests that the patient takes a long holiday. In this case, the judgment is based purely on emotions. Rationally the single mother could not afford a holiday, but the emotions of the counsellor overrule this, and emotionally decides that the mother might needs a break. The emotions shown reflect how the counsellor really feelt about the entire situation, and her sympathy and experience as a counsellor urges her to advice the mother to take a holiday. The counsellor must decide to go with the emotions, or decide whether she might be jeopardising her job. The extent to which she lets her emotions be a part of her ethics is decided for that situation.
A judge in the court of law would undergo and strong battle between following his or her ethics, and obeying to feeling to a certain extent. The Judge has to make a fully rational decision, which by no means is to be effected by emotions. Even his or her child is placed as a suspect, the emotions must be excluded and the decision made on a fully rational basis of facts and strong evidence. Also known as applying the rule of law.
These situations are examples of to what extend our emotions effect the way we make our judgements. The extent to what or emotions are influenced by emotion is something that proves dependent on the situation and person. I still believe that the mind should rule the heart and that all decisions are made on a fully rational basis.
Aesthetics is our opinion in beauty. Aesthetics are based more on emotions than
anything else. We have opinions, which determine which colours, shapes or textures we favour most. I have strong opinion when it comes to aesthetics in cars. My aesthetic opinion is a reaction towards the potential beauty of an object. I have a specific taste or aesthetic opinion in cars, because of an emotion. It might be the sound of the engine, or the shape of its lines that has a particular effect, and awakens and specific emotion, which in turn creates this aesthetic reaction to the car itself. We might have had a previous experience with the same car, that causes this overwhelming emotion to model our aesthetic opinion. Even if the car is expensive, and only has two seats, we favour it because of our aesthetic opinion, and the emotional relationship that we might have to it. I, as a Swede, have a particular passion for Volvos. I find them to be things of beauty,
functionality and practicality. To other they might seem boxy and cheap. Due to my nationality and relationship to the car, I have emotions that maybe not everyone else might, so my aesthetic judgement might be greatly different due to the effect the car has on me, and the emotion it causes me to feel. This doesn’t mean I am going to go and buy a Volvo as soon as I have the money, this judgement would be up top my ethics, but it does show that I have an aesthetic opinion on the car. Again we encounter the problem of knowledge that not all people follow the same priorities in aesthetics. Some might see beauty in an object, but necessarily not favour it over functionality. There is also the
opinion that viewing something from a distance might be best. For example one might have the opinion that having the beautiful Mona Lisa in you living room, but when we could afford the painting, we chose not to buy it, and decide to view it in the Louvre instead.
The extent to which emotions effect our judgement is determined by how deeply we let our emotions affect our rational thought. Principles are generally and ideally followed, it of to what extent we let these emotions distort our judgement, this depends greatly on the person, situation and position of the person. The emotions become a part of our judgement and should therefore become a factor that is taken into account.
