Are reason and emotion equally necessary in justifying moral decisions - Essay Example

It is interesting to study the processes through which a person goes through while arriving at a final decision, specifically, moral ones that test his or her character and loyalty. Often we see that the decisions that we take are decided by many factors. We are often trained to take decisions that are unbiased, but at some point of time in our lives, we come upon a dilemma wherein we start to question established rules and seek answers to why we must not heed to put emotional values while taking decisions.

We tend to ask whether logic is all that we need to face the realities of life. We tend to consider why emotions are not given due importance in the decision making processes that can severely affect out lives in the future. The tension that arises out of conflict between heeding our inner voice and heeding to logic can create many problems in life. Essentially emotion is automatic and reflexive while logic is learned and acquired. While emotions are different from person to person, logic is more or less standard in its approach.

In a way, it may be said that emotions are the real nature of a person, while logic conditions one to conform to the rules of the society. Decision making is dependent on the importance of the situation. While deciding on important things, such as opting between the elevator or the stairs, or making a decision on skipping breakfast, a person does not need to spend much time on the decision-making process. Sometimes, a person is not even aware that a decision has been made as he or she carries on with the chores of the day.

However, when it comes to moral decisions that can have important ramifications in life, a person may have to stretch his or her mental faculties beyond the mundane and summon reason and emotion to come up with the right decision. Hence, it may be seen that there are certain situations in life where emotions and logic