What predominates is the mind or the feelings. What is more important: Feelings or Reason or maybe Strength? What to choose? Who sets the boundaries
Essay in the direction: Reason and feeling. Graduation essay 2016-2017
Reason and feeling: can they possess a person at the same time or are they concepts that are mutually exclusive? Is it true that in a fit of feelings a person commits both base acts and great discoveries that drive evolution and progress? What can a dispassionate mind, a cold calculation, do? The search for answers to these questions has occupied the best minds of humanity since life appeared. And this debate, which is more important - reason or feeling, has been going on since ancient times, and everyone has their own answer. “People live by feelings,” says Erich Maria Remarque, but immediately adds that in order to realize this, reason is needed.
On the pages of the world fiction The problem of the influence of a person’s feelings and mind comes up very often. So, for example, in Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy’s epic novel “War and Peace” two types of heroes appear: on the one hand, the impetuous Natasha Rostova, the sensitive Pierre Bezukhov, the fearless Nikolai Rostov, on the other, the arrogant and calculating Helen Kuragina and her brother, callous Anatole. Many conflicts in the novel arise precisely from the excess of feelings of the characters, the ups and downs of which are very interesting to watch. A striking example of how a rush of feelings, thoughtlessness, ardor of character, and impatient youth influenced the fate of the heroes is the case of Natasha’s betrayal, because for her, funny and young, it was an incredibly long time to wait for her wedding with Andrei Bolkonsky, could she subdue her unexpectedly flared up feelings? feelings for Anatole the voice of reason? Here a real drama of the mind and feelings in the soul of the heroine unfolds before us; she faces a difficult choice: leave her fiancé and leave with Anatole or not give in to a momentary impulse and wait for Andrei. It was in favor of feelings that this difficult choice was made; only an accident prevented Natasha. We cannot blame the girl, knowing her impatient nature and thirst for love. It was Natasha’s impulse that was dictated by her feelings, after which she regretted her action when she analyzed it.
It was the feeling of boundless, all-consuming love that helped Margarita reunite with her lover in Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita.” The heroine, without hesitation for a second, gives her soul to the devil and goes with him to the ball, where murderers and hanged men kiss her knee. Having abandoned a wealthy, measured life in a luxurious mansion with a loving husband, she rushes into an adventurous adventure with evil spirits. Here is a vivid example of how a person, by choosing a feeling, created his own happiness.
Thus, the statement of Erich Maria Remarque is absolutely correct: guided only by reason, a person can live, but it will be a colorless, dull and joyless life, only feelings give life indescribable bright colors, leaving emotionally filled memories. As the great classic Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy wrote: “If we assume that human life can be controlled by reason, then the very possibility of life will be destroyed.”
But what to do with fears and hopes, where to put the feeling of guilt and where to get gratitude when your soul is tired and angry? When our head tells us that we are wrong, our feelings do not always subside; often this gives rise to the next wave of internal indignation.
Another thing is that it happens that feelings are so well educated that they can be trusted with a lot: they work almost independently, wisely resolving all issues practically without involving reason. In a good organization, the manager does not solve operational problems; everything is done by trained employees. In a well-built soul, the mind does not need to strain for every question; the feelings themselves suggest the best solutions.
It is very important that feelings provide subtle information about your own state or the state of another person,
but it is equally important that feelings remain only a tool, and decisions are made by the head.
All responsible decisions must be checked by reason.
If your own mind is not enough, you should turn to the minds of others worthy people. If your head doesn’t work and there is no one to turn to, then listen to yourself, to your feelings. Feelings can also suggest wise decisions, as long as their quiet promptings are not drowned out by the cries of emotion. However, in a critical situation, emotions can also help out - they have little reason, but there is a lot of strength, and this is sometimes life-saving. If nothing is taken care of at all, people go into automatic response mode, which tends to cause problems.
My son has a test
My son has a test today, but in the morning he says that he has a headache and seems to be getting sick. Reality - he understands that he was poorly prepared for the test, is in an internal panic and does not want to go to school (The head works weakly: fear and the desire to shed responsibility are stronger).
- The sister snorts at this and says that he is a fool (the sister guesses about his condition, but does not plan to sympathize, and does not want to think about his problems. Perhaps she is taking revenge for something).
- Dad demands that he immediately go to school (Dad feels the child’s condition, but considers it important that the son does not act on fears and is responsible for his life. Male approach: “If you didn’t prepare for the test, that’s your problem”).
- The mother feels her son’s panic and, after thinking, suggests a solution to leave the child at home, but for him to sit and do his homework. (Mom’s feelings and head work, but the mentality is more feminine, determined by the value of “sorry and help”)
- The grandmother does not feel the child’s condition, but out of habit she imagined the worst, is led by her feelings and wants to put the child to bed (Everyone is determined by feelings, namely fears typical for older women. The head is not included...).
Your choice?
Who sets the boundaries?
Situation once. The family decided to buy a car and determined the amount they could afford. The husband went to the car dealership, the seller played on his feelings... The car was purchased on credit for an amount twice as high as previously planned. The results are deplorable. Question: can this man be called an adult?
Situation two. A girl goes on vacation to the seaside, packs her suitcase. She thought in advance and decided that she did not need more than five types of dresses, blouses, skirts and trousers for a week-long vacation, but then she went into her wardrobe... There are so many different things there! Moreover, these trousers need just such a blouse, and this skirt needs this... The girl sat down at the table, took a piece of paper and spent about three hours looking for optimal combinations of colors and styles. Combinatorics was not easy, but the girl was smart and persistent. In total, based on her calculations, now she needs to stuff eighteen dresses, twelve skirts and fourteen blouses into her suitcase... Question: does this girl’s feelings operate within the framework determined by her head, or does her smart head serve what suddenly sparked her girl’s feelings? ?
There are questions that humanity cannot answer for many centuries. Philosophical debates about what should be a priority: thought or feeling - do not subside even today.
At first glance, the answer is simple. If the presence of consciousness and the ability to think is the main difference between humans and animals, then the rational principle should be a priority. But even plants are endowed with the ability to feel.
On the other hand, opponents of this opinion will rightly note that human feelings are much more complex than the feelings of other living beings. It is impossible to imagine an animal experiencing pangs of conscience or burning envy. No one except a person can feel the awe of contemplating the beauty of nature or a work of art.
So maybe there is no priority? Maybe both thought and feeling are equally important? To try to answer this question, let’s turn to Russian literature, especially since this topic was repeatedly raised by classics.
Getting acquainted with the first pages of the comedy by A.S. Griboyedov, the reader immediately draws attention to the blindness of Sophia’s mind, who completely surrendered to her feelings for the unprincipled careerist Molchalin. “Blinded” by falling in love with the scoundrel Anatoly Kuragin and Natasha Rostova from the epic by L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace". Both heroines were unable to discern the unworthy young people because they temporarily lost the ability to think soberly.
And in Pushkin’s novel in verse, the ardent Lensky, stung by the fact that Onegin has been dancing with Olga all evening, recklessly challenges yesterday’s friend to a duel and, as a result, dies.
But relying only on reason also leads to tragic consequences. We see an example of total denial of feelings in the main character of the novel I.S. Turgenev. Bazarov believes that love does not exist, so he finds himself trapped in his own nihilistic ideas when he passionately falls in love with Olga Odintsova. The writer shows that such a contradiction is insoluble, which is why Eugene dies. You cannot give up feelings, because this is tantamount to death.
In Masha Mironova from " The captain's daughter» A.S. Pushkin, on the contrary, we see an example of a happy combination of reason and feeling. The girl loves Grinev, but refuses to become his wife without the blessing of Peter’s parents. Masha understands that their marriage will not be happy against the will of the father and mother of the groom. As we remember from further developments in the novel, the girl’s decision turned out to be correct.
In my opinion, thought and feeling should be harmoniously combined in a person. The more precise the balance between the rational and the sensual in a person, the happier and fuller his life. It is the harmony of mind and heart that each of us should strive for.
The material was prepared by Natalya Aleksandrovna Zubova, creator of the SAMARUS online school.
Possible formulations of essay topics
1.Why is it always difficult to choose between your heart and your mind?
3.How do the mind and feelings manifest themselves in extreme situations?
5. When “the mind and heart are not in harmony”? (Griboedov A.S. “Woe from Wit”)
6. Is it possible to achieve some kind of balance (harmony) between reason and feeling?
7. “Reason and feelings are two forces that equally need each other” (V.G. Belinsky).
UNIVERSAL THESIS
Guys, I remind you that you can use the quotes below as epigraphs for an essay or abstracts for a specific topic.
Ferdowsi, Persian poet and philosopher: “Let your mind guide your affairs. He will not allow your soul to be harmed.”
W. Shakespeare, English poet and playwright of the Renaissance: “Seeing and feeling is being, thinking is living.
N. Chamfort, French writer: “Our reason sometimes brings us no less grief than our passions.”
G. Flaubert, French writer: “We can be the master of our actions, but we are not free in our feelings.”
L. Feuerbach, German philosopher: “What are the hallmarks of the truly human in man? Mind, will and heart. A perfect person has the power of thinking, the power of will and the power of feeling. The power of thinking is the light of knowledge, the power of will is the energy of character, the power of feeling is love.”
A.S. Pushkin, Russian poet and writer : “I want to live so that I can think and suffer.”
N.V. Gogol, Russian writer: “Reason is undoubtedly the highest ability, but it is acquired only by victory over passions.”
Universal introduction
Life often presents a person with a choice. We must make our decision with our “head” or “heart”. Reason is the ability to think logically, to understand the laws of the development of the world, comprehending the meaning and connection of phenomena. Therefore, reason as a rational component human consciousness gives us the opportunity to think and act based on logic and facts. Feelings are irrational in nature, since they are based on emotions. Famous psychologist N.I. Kozlov compared the mind to a coachman who sees where a cart drawn by desire horses needs to go. If horses are running on a beaten track, the reins can be loosened. And if there is an intersection ahead, then a strong hand from the coachman is needed. We need will.
Of course, this is an allegory. But its meaning is clear: reason and feeling are the most important components of a person’s inner world, influencing his aspirations and actions. In my opinion, a person should always strive for harmony between the mind and feelings. This is the secret of true happiness. To prove my point of view, I will turn to works of Russian literature...
SELECTION OF ESSAYS No. 1 on the block “Reason and Feeling”
Rene Descartes, the French philosopher, said: “I think, therefore I exist” (“Cogito, ergo sum”). Does it follow from this that reason is superior to feelings? Probably, on the contrary, a person’s mental activity exists only thanks to his consciousness and ability to think. It only seems to us that a person is divided into parts and is always fighting inside with himself: the mind calls for prudent actions, and the heart resists and acts on a whim. But our thinking is an attribute of the soul, because the soul shapes our thought. Is there any confirmation of this assumption in Russian literature?
In Anton Pavlovich Chekhov's story “Student” we see a rather dreary landscape of a spring evening, gradually turning into a depressing picture of thick night darkness. A student of the Theological Academy, Ivan Velikopolsky, is going home “with an urge.” The weather, the night, the cold, numb fingers, hunger - everything makes Ivan sad, his thoughts are joyless. He imagines that people were just as unhappy under Rurik, and under Ivan the Terrible, and under Peter: poverty, illness, ignorance, melancholy, darkness and oppression. Having met two simple, village women in the widows' gardens, he suddenly begins to tell (on the eve of Easter) the story of the Apostle Peter. The textbook narrative gives rise to an amazing response in the souls of women. Vasilisa, continuing to smile, suddenly began to cry: tears “…abundantly, flowed down her cheeks, and she shaded her face from the fire with her sleeve, as if ashamed of her tears, and Lukerya, looking motionless at the student, blushed, and her expression became heavy, tense, like a person who is holding back severe pain" This reaction to his story made Ivan think again: what caused Vasilisa’s tears? Just his ability to tell stories or his indifference to the fate of the Apostle Peter? “And joy suddenly stirred in his soul, and he even stopped for a minute to catch his breath.” So suddenly thoughts turned into feelings, Ivan walked the rest of the way in a state of inexpressibly sweet expectation of happiness, unknown, mysterious, “and life seemed to him delightful, wonderful and full of high meaning.”
But this doesn't always happen. Sometimes a feeling gives rise to a thought, and a thought gives birth to an action. In the story of Ivan Alekseevich Bunin “Easy Breathing” main character Olya Meshcherskaya committed a crime: she succumbed to an unknown feeling of attraction. Whether mischief, a thirst for adventure, or the adoring glances of her father’s friend, Alexei Mikhailovich, led the girl to a wrong, stupid act, and aroused thoughts about her sinfulness and criminality. “I don’t understand how this could happen, I’m crazy, I never thought I was like this! Now I have only one way out... I feel such disgust for him that I can’t get over it!..” - Olya will write in her diary. How and when did her plan for self-destruction mature? The power of feeling led the heroine of the story to a terrible ending. Death took away femininity itself, beauty and that light breath that is so lacking in the world...
Reason and feeling... What comes first... It seems to me that this is a question for specialists. Literature provides reading options, describes possible development relationship between mind and emotion. Everyone chooses for themselves what to be guided by, what to subordinate their behavior to: run on the lead of feelings to the edge of the abyss, or calmly, carefully determine a plan of action and act not to please the feeling, but wisely, without destroying your good life...
WHAT RULES THE WORLD: REASON OR FEELINGS? No. 2
Many fundamental questions that arise again and again in every generation among the majority of thinking people do not and cannot have a concrete answer, and all reasoning and debate on this matter is nothing more than empty polemics. What is a sense of life? What is more important: to love or to be loved? What are feelings, God and man on the scale of the universe? Reasoning of this kind also includes the question of in whose hands is the supremacy over the world - in the cold fingers of reason or in the strong and passionate embrace of feelings? It seems to me that in our world everything is a priori organic, and the mind can have some meaning only in conjunction with feelings - and vice versa. A world in which everything is subject only to reason is utopian, and the complete dominance of human feelings and passions leads to excessive eccentricity, impulsiveness and tragedies, which are described in romantic works. However, if we approach the question posed directly, omitting all sorts of “buts,” then we can come to the conclusion that, of course, in the world of people, vulnerable beings who need support and emotions, it is feelings that take on a managerial role. It is on love, on friendship, on spiritual connection that a person’s true happiness is built, even if he himself actively denies it.
Russian literature presents many contradictory personalities who unsuccessfully deny the need for feelings and emotions in their lives and proclaim reason as the only true category of existence. This, for example, is the hero of the novel M.Yu. Lermontov "Hero of Our Time". Pechorin made his choice towards a cynical and cold attitude towards people as a child, when faced with misunderstanding and rejection from the people around him. It was after his feelings were rejected that the hero decided that the “salvation” from such emotional experiences would be the complete denial of love, tenderness, care and friendship. The only true way out, a defensive reaction, Grigory Aleksandrovich chose mental development: he read books, communicated with interesting people, analyzed society and “played” with people’s feelings, thereby compensating for his own lack of emotions, but this still did not help replace simple human happiness. In pursuit of mental activity, the hero completely forgot how to make friends, and the moment when sparks of a warm and tender feeling of love still lit up in his heart, he forcibly suppressed them, forbidding himself to be happy, tried to replace it with travel and beautiful scenery, but eventually lost all desire and desire to live. It turns out that without feelings and emotions, any activity of Pechorin reflected on his fate in black and white colors and did not bring him any satisfaction.
The hero of the novel I.S. found himself in a similar situation. Turgenev "Fathers and Sons". The difference between Bazarov and Pechorin is that he defended his position in relation to feelings, creativity, faith in a dispute, formed his own philosophy, built on denial and destruction, and even had a follower. Evgeniy persistently and fruitfully engaged in scientific activities and all his free time dedicated himself to self-development, but the fanatical desire to destroy everything that is not subject to reason turned against him. The entire nihilistic theory of the hero was shattered by his unexpected feelings for a woman, and this love not only cast a shadow of doubt and confusion on all of Eugene’s activities, but also greatly shook his worldview position. It turns out that any, even the most desperate attempts to destroy feelings and emotions in oneself are nothing compared to the seemingly insignificant, but such a strong feeling of love.
Probably, the resistance of reason and feelings has always been and will be in our lives - this is the essence of man, a creature that is “amazingly vain, truly incomprehensible and eternally wavering.” But it seems to me that all the beauty lies in this totality, in this confrontation, in this uncertainty. human life, all her excitement and interest.
ESSAY No. 3 on the block “Reason and Feeling”
Reason and feeling...What is it? These are the two most important forces, two
components of the inner world of every person. Both of these forces
equally need each other. The mental organization of a person is very complex. The situations that happen and happen to us are very different. One of them is when our feelings prevail over reason. Another situation is characterized by the predominance of reason over feelings. There is also a third, when a person achieves harmony, this means that the mind and feelings influence the mental organization of a person in exactly the same way.
The topic of reason and feeling is interesting to many writers. Reading works of world fiction, including Russian, we come across many such examples that tell us about the manifestation of different situations in the lives of fiction heroes
works when it happens internal conflict: feelings oppose reason. Literary heroes very often they find themselves faced with a choice between the dictates of feeling and the prompting of reason.
Thus, in the story by Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin “ Poor Lisa“We see how the nobleman Erast falls in love with the poor peasant girl Lisa. Lisa is madly in love with Erast. The author observes the change in Liza’s feelings. Confusion, sadness, insane joy, anxiety, despair, shock - these are the feelings that filled the girl’s heart. Erast, weak and flighty, has lost interest in Lisa, he doesn’t think about anything, he’s a reckless person. Satiety sets in and a desire to free oneself from a boring connection sets in. The moment of love is beautiful, but reason gives long life and strength to feelings. Lisa hopes to regain her lost happiness, but it’s all in vain. Deceived in her best hopes and feelings, she forgets her soul and throws herself into the pond near the Simonov Monastery. The girl trusts the movements of her heart and lives only by “tender passions.” For Lisa, the loss of Erast is tantamount to the loss of life. Ardentness and ardor drive her. to death. Reading the story by N. M. Karamzin, we are convinced that “reason and feelings are two forces that equally need each other.”
In the novel by Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy you can find several scenes and
episodes related to this topic. L.N. Tolstoy's favorite heroine, Natasha Rostova, met and fell in love with Prince Andrei Bolkonsky. After Prince Andrei left abroad, Natasha was very sad for a long time, without leaving her room. She is very lonely without her loved one. During these difficult days, Anatol Kuragin meets in her life. He looked at Natasha with an “admiring, affectionate gaze.” The girl was recklessly infatuated with Anatole. The love of Natasha and Andrey was put to the test. Unable to keep her promise to wait for her beloved, she betrayed him. The young girl is too young and inexperienced in matters of the heart. But a pure soul tells her that she is doing wrong. Why did Rostova fall in love with Kuragin? She saw in him a person close to her. This love story ended very sadly.
Hello dear readers! Good deep question from Evgeniy: What is more important – feelings or mind? What should you be guided by when you make important decisions - by calculation or should you listen to your heart? And some say “the strongest wins,” what role does a person’s strength play in his destiny and making important life decisions?First I will answer with a quote from the sages who avoid - “Wisdom, Love and Strength - the trinity of the human Soul” . These are three equally important foundations for the harmonious development of any person, each Soul.
Refusal of one and absolute deification of the other leads a person to extremes and dead ends, which inevitably makes development one-sided, and a person somewhat limited and weak.
This becomes obvious if you look from an esoteric point of view. When a person says “the most important thing is love, and everything else doesn’t matter...” - he automatically devalues and blocks the other centers of his Soul, which are responsible for Strength and Struggle (, etc.), for reason, understanding, decision-making ( , etc.), etc. Although it is obvious that all components and the human Soul need to be developed.
Such people, accustomed to going to extremes, often fall into the traps of their own minds. When a person confuses love, for example, with etc. Through such substitutions, many weaknesses are cultivated in a person.
Such people, most often, do not want to understand and admit that in order for great love to live in your heart and shine to the whole world, you must become a very strong and smart person!
After all, what kind of love can live in the untrained heart of a stupid and weak person? Each person in this life can only have what he is able to protect. For a person who is weak in spirit, will and mind, love will be the same “zilch”, until the first insult, until the first critical word addressed to him, until the first frustration.
If a person is weak, his bright feelings can be destroyed by the first person he meets, the first trouble or obstacle on the way that he does not have the strength to cope with.
In the same way, power without love loses all meaning, and without reason it must become destructive and uncontrollable. Any extreme inevitably leads to negative consequences.
Feelings, Reason or Strength - so what is more important?
1. A person has reason, consciousness, thinking, mind - therefore, he needs the right knowledge, wisdom in order to make the strongest and wisest decisions that lead to effective actions and the most positive consequences. That's why they say “Knowledge is primary”, they either make a person successful and wise, or stupid and incapable of anything. Knowledge determines beliefs! Positive and strong beliefs lead us to success and happiness, negative and rotten beliefs make a person weak, stupid, spineless, and insolvent.
Read the following articles about the meaning of Reason and Knowledge:
2. Man also has a heart, first of all, his Spiritual Heart (), in which, ideally, tall, light ones live. Refusal of love, of feelings, makes a person incomplete, wretched, callous and unhappy, just as rejection of reason makes a person stupid. Therefore, Feelings and Love need to be developed and cultivated so that the heart and soul are alive, in order to experience joy and happiness, and positive impressions of life to a superlative degree.
You need to understand that “a holy place is never empty,” and if bright feelings such as joy, gratitude, respect, love do not live in your heart, negative feelings and emotions will accumulate in your heart (claims, contempt, hostility, etc.).
It’s up to you to decide what to fill your heart with and what sensations to experience in life. Read more on this topic in the articles:
3. A person needs strength just like Feelings and Reason. Life is not a walk on rose petals. Life has everything - creation and struggle, gifts and trials. Because in our world there are both and! And in order not to break, not to be trampled by someone, humiliated and destroyed - a person must become Strong! It can send you a test at any moment. You can go through it with dignity if you are strong in Spirit and Will, or you can break down, lose faith, close yourself in a shell and live the rest of your life as a loser in a state of insignificance if you are weak!
The levels of destiny, the levels of life goals to which a person can rise are the levels of his power. If a person is weaker in spirit, willpower, or in his personal qualities and does not correspond to the desired goal, it remains unattainable. This is why spiritual and energetic development exists, this is why we need personal growth to become stronger and achieve tomorrow those goals that you could not achieve today.