What should a person be guided by in his actions: reason or feelings?

The human soul is somewhat reminiscent of a balance, on the side of which opposite concepts sometimes appear: good and evil, honor and dishonor, love and hate, reason and feelings. Every time a person commits an act, a person listens to his inner voice, expecting to hear instructions, a certain plan of action. But more often than not, the inner I seems to be divided into two parts: the voice of reason commands to do one thing, and the soul commands something completely different. Why should a person listen? In my opinion, in the event of such a conflict, you need to be able to find a compromise, choose something in between, because in this situation it will be possible to balance the scales of the internal scales, find harmony and true happiness with minimal suffering.

As a rule, the fate of people led only by feelings and emotions is very tragic. They either mindlessly torment themselves with suffering, or get lost in the labyrinth of life, or in the end make irreparable mistakes. The person who drowned out the sober voice of reason with the melody of bright feelings is Georgy Zheltkov from A. Kuprin's story "Garnet Bracelet". Zheltkov is a minor official, but his social status does not prevent the hero from falling in love with Princess Vera Sheina. She, of course, does not reciprocate to George, but he continues to love the woman with pure, disinterested love, not concealing his feelings. It seems that circumstances should extinguish the tenderness in Zheltkov's heart: Vera is marrying a prominent person, happy in marriage, knows only George's modest initials and vaguely imagines the power of his love - but the man loves Vera more and more every day. He acts contrary to common sense: he gives Sheina well-known gifts, writes letters, steals scarves. And this love leads to a real tragedy: realizing that his beloved will be unhappy because of him, that he destroys her calm family life with his fiery feeling, Zheltkov ends his life by suicide. In my opinion, the reader, having learned about the fate of George, must understand that one cannot blindly believe the voice of the soul, one must listen to reason and try to achieve a state of balance.

People who rely in their lives only on dry arguments and a mechanical mind are just as tragic as people of emotions. At times, in their actions, they can seem completely inhuman, cruel, callous people. The hero of the epic novel by V. Hugo "Les Miserables" Javert relies only on the law, an imaginary justice, which does not allow correction and spiritual resurrection. In one of the episodes of the novel, a police officer sees Fantina, a courtesan from the bottom of social life, scolds the young gentleman. Javert forcibly takes the girl to the police station and sentenced her to six months in prison, finally defeating the unfortunate Fantine. She tells the policeman that she was not to blame for the situation, the gentleman humiliated and insulted her in every possible way, and after that he put a handful of snow under the neckline of the open dress of Fantina, who was already dying of illness. Not of her own free will, she began to sell the body: her little daughter lives with the innkeepers, all the money she earns goes only to the maintenance of the girl. Previously, Fantina worked at the enterprise, but due to denunciation of one of the workers she was fired. However, even a horrifying story does not make any impression on the policeman, as if nothing can disturb his deceased, emotionless soul. Observing people like Javert, we must understand that life without deep feelings is not life, but only a fruitless existence.

Not all mistakes can be corrected, not every deed can be altered, and not every feeling can be resurrected by will alone. To avoid terrible consequences, a person must carefully consider his actions, relying on reason and feelings in equal measure, being able to listen to his inner I. A person must try to find that very golden mean, that very balance, that balance between reason and feeling, to be truly happy, to be truly alive.

567 words

The essay was written by Rita Kireeva, a user of our site. Published with minor stylistic changes.

Reason is a person's ability to think creatively and logically, to generalize the results of cognition. Feeling - the ability to feel, experience, perceive external influences, be aware of the environment. 25 words

Both of these components are components of the human personality. For a person to remain in harmony with himself, it is necessary that feeling and reason are in harmony. If the mind wins, then the person will become callous, soulless, selfish. If only feelings-passions triumph in the personality, and the mind fades into the background, then a person can stop controlling himself, begin to destroy everything around. But there are people who live with feelings and do good deeds, have good intentions.

What can happen from the predominance of one component over another? What is the difference between feeling driven by a kind heart and feeling driven by passions?

The problem of dissonance between reason and feeling in Russian literature is touched upon very often.

Traditionally, writers gave priority to feelings. I absolutely agree with them. A person whose personality is seized by feelings, pure and sincere, but not low and animal passions, is humane and kind in relation to others, cares about their welfare, is ready for free help, is not indifferent to the troubles of strangers. The personification of purity, humanity and compassion is Sonya Marmeladova, the main character of the novel by Fyodorov Mikhailovich Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment". Sonya is a person who lives according to God's laws, treats the problems of others with understanding, ready to help in difficult times, to share suffering. The Marmeladov family was in distress and poverty. Sonya had to commit a crime, commit violence against herself: engage in prostitution. Despite such a terrible price, she decides to commit this sin in order to save her loved ones from starvation. Sonya also assists Raskolnikov. She supports him in a difficult moment in his life, follows him to hard labor, thereby helping his soul to heal and resurrect. A person, guided by sincere feelings and noble goals, cares for the welfare of others, without gaining benefit from this. He possesses qualities such as mercy, selflessness, kindness. Such a person is capable of performing high, moral actions under the influence of high spiritual feelings.

If feelings-passions enslave a person, this can lead to his moral death. Anyone who has fallen under the influence of animals, low passions, becomes capable of disgusting, disgusting deeds. Arkady Ivanovich Svidrigailov is the complete opposite of Sonya Marmeladova - such a person. Passions are raging in his life. He is voluptuous, cynical. Svidrigailov ruined the lives of other people, including his wife, Marfa Petrovna, whom, according to rumors, he poisoned. Arkady Ivanovich belongs to the type of people who fell under the pernicious influence of the destroyer passions. People whose feelings are driven by such passions become selfish, their actions are destructive for others. They are driven not by moral feelings, but by animal instincts.

Man is an intelligent being. This feature distinguishes it from other biological species. But a person, completely under the control of a cold, calculating mind, becomes a cynical, cold machine capable of immoral acts. The problem of the victory of reason over feeling is clearly expressed in the main character of the novel "Crime and Punishment" - Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov. He is a slave to his theory, which is the fruit of his sick mind. The essence of this theory is that, in his opinion, people are divided into two categories: "the right of those who have", to whom everything is permitted, and "trembling creatures", who must obey them. This idea prevailed over the personality of Raskolnikov, began to control him, led him to murder, cruel and ruthless. He killed the old woman-lender Alyona Ivanovna. One crime led to another: He accidentally killed the old woman's sister, Lizaveta, who suddenly appeared at the scene of the crime. An even more disgusting hero living by reason is Pyotr Petrovich Luzhin, "Raskolnikov's double." His theory is based on the idea of \u200b\u200ba strong personality who placed himself above others. He, without disdaining anything, achieves his goals, uses people for his own benefit, without feeling the pangs of conscience. He is an insensitive, selfish nature. An indicator of this is, for example, the case of Sonya. Luzhin set up and disgraced her, accusing her of stealing money, which he himself planted on a defenseless girl. If the mind transcends the boundaries of what is permitted and enslaves the consciousness of a person, he can direct him to the wrong path, make him merciless and cruel.

The conflict between reason and feeling is familiar to almost everyone. Someone prefers to live by reason, someone leans towards feelings. Some people, under the influence of feelings-passions, become immoral, low and immoral, other people are ennobled by feelings, leading to the commission of noble, highly moral acts. S.Ya.Marshak wrote: "Let your mind be kind, and your heart be smart." This means that reason and feeling should support each other, harmony between them is necessary, and although it is extremely difficult to achieve it, you need to strive for this. 60 words (no quote in quotes)

Composition in the direction: Reason and feeling. Graduation essay 2016-2017

Reason and feeling: can they own a person at the same time, or are they mutually exclusive concepts? Is it true that, in a fit of feelings, a person commits both base deeds and great discoveries that drive evolution and progress? What can an impassive mind, cold calculation be capable of? Finding answers to these questions has occupied the best minds of humanity since life began. And this dispute, which is more important - reason or feeling, has been waged since antiquity, and everyone has their own answer. “People live by feelings,” says Erich Maria Remarque, but then adds that in order to realize this, you need a mind.

On the pages of world fiction, the problem of the influence of human feelings and reason is raised very often. So, for example, in the epic novel by Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy, "War and Peace", two types of heroes appear: on the one hand, it is impetuous Natasha Rostova, sensitive Pierre Bezukhov, 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 heroes, the vicissitudes of which are very interesting to observe. A striking example of how an impulse of feelings, thoughtlessness, ardor of character, impatient youth, influenced the fate of the heroes, is the case of Natasha's betrayal, because for her, laughing and young, it was incredibly long to wait for the wedding with Andrei Bolkonsky, could she subdue her unexpectedly flared feelings for Anatol the voice of reason? Here we have a real drama of mind and feelings in the soul of the heroine, she faces a difficult choice: to leave the groom and leave with Anatole, or not to succumb to a momentary impulse and wait for Andrey. It was in favor of feelings that this difficult choice was made, only an accident prevented Natasha. We cannot judge a girl, knowing her impatient character and thirst for love. It was feelings that dictated Natasha's impulse, after which she regretted her act when she analyzed it.

It was the feeling of boundless, all-consuming love that helped Margarita to 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 gallows kiss her knee. Rejecting 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, having chosen a feeling, created his own happiness.
Thus, the statement of Erich Maria Remarque is completely correct: guided only by reason, a person can live, but this will be a colorless, dull and joyless life, only feelings give life indescribable bright colors, leaving emotionally filled memories. As the great classic Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy wrote: "If we assume that human life can be controlled by reason, then the very possibility of life will be destroyed."

Love is a high feeling with tremendous power. It

can elevate a person, inspire, open up new spiritual

quality. But at the same time, love can bring unbearable suffering

and push for rash acts. So what is guided by

a person in love, doing certain things: with a cold mind

or hot feelings?

Often a loving person makes a choice not towards the sane

meaning, but towards emotions, emotional impulse. Olesya does the same -

the heroine of the story of the same name by Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin. During

the second meeting with Ivan Timofeevich, the girl guesses to him on the cards and

predicts great love from the "lady of clubs", which in her

the queue will be miserable because of him. It is quite obvious: Olesya is great

understood that this "lady" she herself, but was not afraid of the prophecy and did not

broke off relations with Ivan Timofeevich, but, on the contrary, with each new

meeting more and more strengthened them. Her act can be explained

by the fact that at that time Olesya had already developed a feeling of sympathy for Ivan

Timofeevich. She, guessing about the dire consequences, but succumbing

the will of the senses, made her choice in favor of a happy, bright but very

short love, and not in favor of your own quiet calmness.

But a person in love does not always follow the call of his heart. The main

the heroine of Charlotte Bronte's novel "Jen Eyre" has to do very

difficult choice, and she is guided by common sense. Jen,

madly in love with Mr.Rochester, having learned of his deception, could not

violate her moral principles and become his wife, so she

decides to leave his beloved. But at what cost it was given to her! Jen was very

hard to make this decision, she understood that Edward Rochester was the one

the person with whom she wants to connect her fate, with whom she will be

really happy that their feelings for each other are strong and mutual. But

as a girl of high moral standards, Jen obeys the voice

Indeed, a person is capable of much when under

by the power of love. I believe that a lover should not lose his head and

to act, guided only by their feelings and emotions. But also

you can't jeopardize your own happiness by yielding to the call of reason,

because in this case it can be lost forever. I think that loving

Feelings are the basis of reason, but reason cannot be reduced to feelings1.

The mind makes a decision on the basis of the data provided to the senses, and its decision can both be in line with what its feelings tell it, and contradict what its feelings propel it to. The outcome of the conflict depends both on the strength of the raging feelings and on the strength of the individual. If the mind is weak and the feelings are strong, the mind usually only agrees with what the feelings dictate to it. However, the strength of feelings does not determine everything, except for the strength of feelings, there is the strength of reason and the strength of personality.

Conflict and Commonwealth of Mind and Feelings

Often, mind and feelings are in conflict. Feelings say: "I want!", The mind says "It is necessary." The mind says: "That's right," the feelings protest: "I don't want to." How to resolve this issue? This largely depends on the level of personal development of the people involved in this situation. The lower the level of personality development, the more often the issue is resolved at the level of feelings. The higher - the more often there is an appeal to reason. It is very important that the feelings give subtle information about their own state or the state of another person, but it is no less important that the feelings remain only an instrument, and the head makes decisions (decisions were made by the mind). See →

The commonwealth of reason and feelings is possible and necessary, while their correct attitude consists not in the equality of reason and feelings, but in their hierarchy: in the performance of the mind's work of making responsible decisions and the subordination of feelings to reason. See →

Personality traits

Children often live by feelings, adult life presupposes a large role of reason, however, where people can choose their way of life on their own, men are more often guided by reason, women - by feelings.

Children and some girls are so accustomed to living with feelings that it does not even occur to them that one day they can be guided by their heads. See →

People who are convinced that one should live first of all by the call of the heart (at the behest of the senses, guided by intuition) often call themselves intuitionists. In particular, J.-J. Russo.