“There can be no knowledge without emotion…until we have felt the force of the knowledge, it is not ours.” Discuss this vision of the relationship between knowledge and emotion.
Emotion is one of the key areas in which we, as human beings, acquire our knowledge. Emotion is universal amongst humans and it dictates the majority of the decisions we make. It is because of emotion that we may become motivated to increase our knowledge or alternatively, our lack of emotional motivation may cause us to lose interest in gaining knowledge. In this essay I will go on to discuss how emotion helps and hinders our acquisition of knowledge in music, mathematics and art.
As human beings, we are all different. One thing we all have in common is that when we are asked for reasons on we did something, our answer is usually emotion based, showing one of the ways in which we acquire knowledge. If we enjoy doing something, we tend to take in the knowledge at an advanced pace, if not, then the process is reversed. One area of knowledge in which we commonly see this effect is music. Those who wish to play instruments tend to learn how to play far quicker than those who do not wish to learn. This common occurrence is a prime example of how emotion can both assist and hinder our acquisition of knowledge. The feelings we associate with things we do not enjoy cause us to mentally associate these actions with negative emotions, which in turn causes us to lose interest and motivation. When we enjoy playing musical instruments, and it is something we associate with positive emotions, we tend to be far more motivated and focused.
Another area of knowledge which commonly relies on emotion is art. Our understanding of art is assisted directly by our understanding of emotion. To understand what an artist is trying to express in their work, we need to try and conceptualise our feelings and emotion towards a piece. By using emotion we can try and interpret what an artist is trying to achieve with their work, though our own interpretation may differ from others. Though this concept would be directly related to personal experience and could also hinder our understanding of what an artist is trying to achieve with their work. As an example, Graffiti is commonly referred to something which man would see as vandalism. Upon seeing graffiti many people would feel anger toward the supposed destruction of property. Though many would actually see graffiti as a form of expressive art. This could be said for a number of works of art, though it is always open to interpretation.
Emotion commonly outweighs reason in many cases. For example, what we want and what we need are commonly referred to as two different things, though when we want something we may feel it as a need. This displays our emotion as being something which we cannot overlook, it will always help and hinder our decision making, rationality and our desires. Though many may see that as being a negative, I would argue that it is in fact beneficial for the development of the human race in both scientific and expressive areas of knowledge.
You make a few good points about the importance of reason but it is somewhat superficial. It needs examples from your own life when emotion has helped or hindered or acquisition of knowledge , and it needs real world examples, as well. What about AoK that rely least on emotion.
Emotion is one of the key areas in which we, as human beings, acquire our knowledge. Emotion is universal amongst humans and it dictates the majority of the decisions we make. It is because of emotion that we may become motivated to increase our knowledge or alternatively, our lack of emotional motivation may cause us to lose interest in gaining knowledge. In this essay I will go on to discuss how emotion helps and hinders our acquisition of knowledge in music, mathematics and art.As human beings, we are all different. One thing we all have in common is that when we are asked for reasons on we did something, our answer is usually emotion based, showing one of the ways in which we acquire knowledge. If we enjoy doing something, we tend to take in the knowledge at an advanced pace, if not, then the process is reversed. One area of knowledge in which we commonly see this effect is music. Those who wish to play instruments tend to learn how to play far quicker than those who do not wish to learn. This common occurrence is a prime example of how emotion can both assist and hinder our acquisition of knowledge. The feelings we associate with things we do not enjoy cause us to mentally associate these actions with negative emotions, which in turn causes us to lose interest and motivation. When we enjoy playing musical instruments, and it is something we associate with positive emotions, we tend to be far more motivated and focused.
Another area of knowledge which commonly relies on emotion is art. Our understanding of art is assisted directly by our understanding of emotion. To understand what an artist is trying to express in their work, we need to try and conceptualise our feelings and emotion towards a piece. By using emotion we can try and interpret what an artist is trying to achieve with their work, though our own interpretation may differ from others. Though this concept would be directly related to personal experience and could also hinder our understanding of what an artist is trying to achieve with their work. As an example, Graffiti is commonly referred to something which man would see as vandalism. Upon seeing graffiti many people would feel anger toward the supposed destruction of property. Though many would actually see graffiti as a form of expressive art. This could be said for a number of works of art, though it is always open to interpretation.
Emotion commonly outweighs reason in many cases. For example, what we want and what we need are commonly referred to as two different things, though when we want something we may feel it as a need. This displays our emotion as being something which we cannot overlook, it will always help and hinder our decision making, rationality and our desires. Though many may see that as being a negative, I would argue that it is in fact beneficial for the development of the human race in both scientific and expressive areas of knowledge.
You make a few good points about the importance of reason but it is somewhat superficial. It needs examples from your own life when emotion has helped or hindered or acquisition of knowledge , and it needs real world examples, as well. What about AoK that rely least on emotion.