Logical Vs. Emotional -- Where Do You Fall, and What Are the Pros and Cons of Each?

[notonmywatch]

Having now read several other responses here, and having thereby read some definitions of "emotional", I'd have to say that I'm definitely more passionate (as per what Gojira said) than emotional. In other words, my emotions are generally very even-keeled, but I'm tremendously passionate about God, people, and certain things.

 

[seoulsearch]

One of the things I was thinking about last night is how God Himself seems to wrestle with Logic vs. Emotions.

From the time I was a kid, I have been most fascinated by God's personality, since everything about us, including logic and emotions, is modeled after Him.

Logic would tell God that a bunch of puny creatures who, at heart, have every inclination to rebel against Him in every way wouldn't be worth His time or trouble. And yet, He chose not only to put up with them, but to save them at the cost of His Son's own life. I remember the first time I read an article pointing out the fact that God chose to die for humans and not angels, even though we are much more fragile and probably even more fickle.

Some of my favorite stories in the Bible are those in which God is struggling with His own emotions vs logical conclusions. I always think of the story in 2 Samuel 24 in which God gives David a choice of 3 punishments for taking an unapproved census.

David made his choice, and God sent a plague that killed 70,000 men. The Bible even says that David saw the angel striking the people.

But in 2 Samuel 24:16, we read: "And when the angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, 'It is enough, now restrain your hand.'"

I could be wrong, but I always see this as just one example of how God Himself struggles between logic and emotion. According to His logic, He knew that the people should be punished for their sins.

But it seems that it got to a point where even God Himself couldn't take, or at least hit a tipping point, at seeing so much death and destruction, leading Him to finally said, "Stop."

Even if I'm getting this all wrong, the point I take away from all this is that God truly understands the thoughts we struggle with and the motivation behind them, and I am reminded that He is more than capable of helping us to work through them to His glory.

 

[tourist]

arrgh this is a question pyschiatrists ask when charging you $100 an hour while you attempt to figure it out.

My late father-in-law once asked me, "Son, why do you do these things?" I replied, "I don't know Dad 'cause I'm not a psychiatrist". Regarding the fees, Lucy only charges a dime as her fee. Used to be a nickel though. Inflation.

 

[notonmywatch]

I could be wrong, but I always see this as just one example of how God Himself struggles between logic and emotion. According to His logic, He knew that the people should be punished for their sins.

But it seems that it got to a point where even God Himself couldn't take, or at least hit a tipping point, at seeing so much death and destruction, leading Him to finally said, "Stop."

This reminds me of Jesus emotionally weeping over Jerusalem as he foresaw their coming destruction which was logically just.

Luke 19:41
And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,

Luke 19:42
Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.

Luke 19:43
For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,

Luke 19:44
And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

 

[Sculpt]

Hi Sculpt,

I actually think the definitions are a bit fluid and most definitely subjective. What I call Emotional Thinking might not be what someone else will see it as.

For my own purposes, I see it as someone who tends to default to their emotions more than logic. Something like, "I know this person is bad for me, but I feel better when I'm not alone," and so they can't let go of a toxic relationship. Whereas a more logical thinker might be satisfied with knowing that this situation just isn't good for them, and that's enough motivation to cut it off. In the past, my more emotional side used to win, but that has changed over time.

I think it also varies by personality and situations. I'm someone who was raised in an atmosphere that stressed delayed gratification, so when I see something I think is kind of cool that I'd like to own but isn't really a necessity, I generally don't have a problem passing it up. My logical thinking says, Nah, you really don't need that. It would just be more clutter and you can add the money to your savings instead.

Whereas a more emotional response to that situation might be, "But... buying this will make me feel better. I've worked hard, and I deserve to treat myself!" And there's nothing wrong with that under the right conditions of course. And a more emotionally-thinking person might even see this as logical thinking for themselves, reasoning that, "This thing will improve my present mental condition and is cheaper than therapy, therefore, it is worth the cost."

What would your own definitions of logical vs. emotional thinking be?

Once you have an idea of how you've seen or experienced these things in your own life, feel free to go from there.

Gotcha, I see there's pros and cons, good sides and bad sides begging for balance.

I think a logical thinker might obtain goals in an efficient manner, but those goals may be rather concrete and cold, or produce an end that is rather abstract, internally serving a sense of ego. An emotional thinker may pay closer attention to internal desires, peacefulness, and interpersonal attachments.

I think I have a high number for both, 8 and 8. In astrological lore there's an interesting description of Pisces that goes something like Pisces are highly sensual and emotional, often artists. Although they may have a high degree of logic and intelligence the danger is they are often unaware of the strong emotional torrents occurring deep beneath the surface controlling their behavior.

Of course, most astrological descriptions fit everyone, but highlight interesting aspects of psychology.

Relationship-wise, I'll be focusing on emotional thinking in the moment, and not really realize when the logical needs to show up.

 

[Lynx]

Gotcha, I see there's pros and cons, good sides and bad sides begging for balance.

A lot of that balance can be achieved by having friends who are good at the things you are not good at. Of course it also means you have to listen to your friends, even when they say things you automatically disagree with because they go against the aspect in which you are strongest.

One might say the most important thing is not to be good at logic or emotion, but to be aware that there are people who are good at it. I'm a big fan of riding on other people's wisdom. Nobody can know everything himself, so if I know people who have proven to be good with emotion I like to listen when they say something about it.

 

[TheNarrowPath]

Hi SS, were you thinking of this because of my reply in the Angry thread?
I see it like this - With logical thinking if God is a 10 then to be up there in that range we would be perfect and not make mistakes or have regrets because logically all our decisions would be sound. That might mean that the average person would be at the median or just above or below it because we do make wrong choices that dont make sense.
So Im also thinking to be a 10 like God with emotional thinking again we would need to be up there in that range, loving our enemies, forgiving their trespasses, being sacrificial like God etc But the human race is not like that, we choose whom we love and not love, we dont always think about people that are not first and foremost in our view.
I really do believe God works in mysterious ways. I think much like the alpha male if you are high on logical you are low on emotional, And the opposite if you are a Beta. Are we supposed to be balanced? Maybe not because a wife and husband each bring something different to the table that the other may be lacking in some way? It was a good point that Lynx made about his friends kinda balancing it out.
Anyway my thoughts are my own lol so not meant to offend anyone Id see myself as a 5:5 my work brings out the logic in me, my family bring out the emotion in me.

 

[seoulsearch]

Hi SS, were you thinking of this because of my reply in the Angry thread?
I see it like this - With logical thinking if God is a 10 then to be up there in that range we would be perfect and not make mistakes or have regrets because logically all our decisions would be sound. That might mean that the average person would be at the median or just above or below it because we do make wrong choices that dont make sense.
So Im also thinking to be a 10 like God with emotional thinking again we would need to be up there in that range, loving our enemies, forgiving their trespasses, being sacrificial like God etc But the human race is not like that, we choose whom we love and not love, we dont always think about people that are not first and foremost in our view.
I really do believe God works in mysterious ways. I think much like the alpha male if you are high on logical you are low on emotional, And the opposite if you are a Beta. Are we supposed to be balanced? Maybe not because a wife and husband each bring something different to the table that the other may be lacking in some way? It was a good point that Lynx made about his friends kinda balancing it out.
Anyway my thoughts are my own lol so not meant to offend anyone Id see myself as a 5:5 my work brings out the logic in me, my family bring out the emotion in me.

Hi Narrow,

The inspiration for this thread actually came from talking to a couple of my very logical-thinking friends (who are also usually my tech support, seeing as I've also noticed that a lot of logically-based people seem to do very well with tech.)

I was telling them that I appreciated the fact that even though their first line of thought was always drawn from logic, they make a lot of effort to see things from my more emotional side. I've had logical friends in the past where the friendships dissolved because we couldn't understand or accept each other's way of thinking.

It's fascinating to me that you see yourself as pretty much equally balanced. I'd guess this was bit rare and unique, and I almost envy your stance because I wonder if leads to making wiser choices, due to the a full scope of influence.

Thanks so much for joining in on the discussion!

 

[TheNarrowPath]

Hi Narrow,

The inspiration for this thread actually came from talking to a couple of my very logical-thinking friends (who are also usually my tech support, seeing as I've also noticed that a lot of logically-based people seem to do very well with tech.)

I was telling them that I appreciated the fact that even though their first line of thought was always drawn from logic, they make a lot of effort to see things from my more emotional side. I've had logical friends in the past where the friendships dissolved because we couldn't understand or accept each other's way of thinking.

It's fascinating to me that you see yourself as pretty much equally balanced. I'd guess this was bit rare and unique, and I almost envy your stance because I wonder if leads to making wiser choices, due to the a full scope of influence.

Thanks so much for joining in on the discussion!

To clarify I mean I am not unlike the average joe in that I tend to use logic and emotion evenly eg I can have feelings about a break up but it doesnt take me long to move past them to see the lessons. Or at work I can have a focus on the lesson but at times I can adjust the lesson to take into consideration this students parents are in a messy divorce. So I was thinking most people are like that and definitely Im no unicorn lol If I was Id give up my day time job!
But joking aside its interesting to study and observe. I wasnt always a 5:5. If you had of asked me 6 years ago Id say my emotional side was higher than the logical.

 

[TheNarrowPath]

And just one more thing I want to add Seoul if thats okay. It was when I was high in my emotional thinking that God showed me He is real Amen!!

 

[HealthAndHappiness]

I'm not a Mr. Spock, but try to exercise wisdom and logic. Like masculine guys typically are, I try to fix things. I'm probably a little better about listening than I used to be and realizing that a lot of people don't want answers, they just need to talk.

Jesus expressed emotions and created us in His image. I try to be appropriate to the occasion. .. Weep when others weep and rejoice for others when appropriate as they rejoice. I don't expect any in return.
God is angry with the wicked every day. When He smoked the cities on the plain of Sodom and Gomorrah, I don't react like contemporary society and accuse Him of being cruel. I hate the wicked and agree with God's judgements. Some think they love more than He does and accuse God of being unrighteous. Then they reject His mercy for their own self righteousness. My focus is on those with ears to hear.
He will take vengeance upon the Devils. I begged Him many times for a place on a horse directly behind the Lord when He destroys Satan's armies. I'm not worthy of that, but I'm still asking. At the same time I weep for the innocent who suffer and pray for those in need.

How much of both? I don't know. Is there a spectrum of stoicism vs emotions?
When it comes to some subjects, I could care less. When it comes to that which is important to me, most would describe me as pretty zealous.

 

[Lynx]

One of the things I was thinking about last night is how God Himself seems to wrestle with Logic vs. Emotions.

From the time I was a kid, I have been most fascinated by God's personality, since everything about us, including logic and emotions, is modeled after Him.

Logic would tell God that a bunch of puny creatures who, at heart, have every inclination to rebel against Him in every way wouldn't be worth His time or trouble. And yet, He chose not only to put up with them, but to save them at the cost of His Son's own life. I remember the first time I read an article pointing out the fact that God chose to die for humans and not angels, even though we are much more fragile and probably even more fickle.

Some of my favorite stories in the Bible are those in which God is struggling with His own emotions vs logical conclusions. I always think of the story in 2 Samuel 24 in which God gives David a choice of 3 punishments for taking an unapproved census.

David made his choice, and God sent a plague that killed 70,000 men. The Bible even says that David saw the angel striking the people.

But in 2 Samuel 24:16, we read: "And when the angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, 'It is enough, now restrain your hand.'"

I could be wrong, but I always see this as just one example of how God Himself struggles between logic and emotion. According to His logic, He knew that the people should be punished for their sins.

But it seems that it got to a point where even God Himself couldn't take, or at least hit a tipping point, at seeing so much death and destruction, leading Him to finally said, "Stop."

Even if I'm getting this all wrong, the point I take away from all this is that God truly understands the thoughts we struggle with and the motivation behind them, and I am reminded that He is more than capable of helping us to work through them to His glory.

For me that's the easy part. I can break that down into logic I can wrap my brain around.

I like my car, but if it breaks down too much I'll get a different one. My laptop is subject to replacing depending on what I might want to get next. But my grandmother can't be replaced. I like my stuff because of what it can do for me. I love my grandmother because she's my grandma.

Humans are different from everything else in the universe in one specific aspect - God loves us. God has said everything in this universe will one day be gone, and He will make a new world. But God never said anything about filling it with new people. In fact God wants very much to save as many people from this world as He can persuade.

God doesn't love us for anything we are or anything we can do. God loves us because God loves us.

God made the sun for light and heat. He made earthworms to aerate the soil. He made flowers to be pretty. But He made us to be His children, and He loves us like a parent loves a child.

Which doesn't have anything to do with logic... But it does make sense to me.

 

[HealthAndHappiness]

Here's THE Logical Man

😄

 

[HealthAndHappiness]

Here's the Manic Depressive Spock

😦.
.
.
.
.
😄

 

[HealthAndHappiness]

Here's the manic phase Spock when he's off his meds . Pro's and cons?
Which Spock do you prefer?
I'll bet that someone here was married to Spock....

 

[TheNarrowPath]

Here's the Manic Depressive Spock

😦.
.
.
.
.
😄

Thats me trying to learn my multiplication tables.🤣😁😂

 

[Lanolin]

why are ppl talking about spock?

I just remember Temple Grandin, who has autism, relating to Spock in a big way.

However not all autistic people are the same, some seem to operate on emotions alone rather than logic.

Arts and Science while different desciplines, can be studied in tandem though they are usually taught separately. I think people need both, but arts tends wins out for me over science.

Science can be very reductionalist while art is often holistic.

But then I think of something I want to do thats very artistic but the method is scientific - paint pouring. You need to get the right mixture of materials for spectacular effect I think. Thats why if you are doing anything artistic, say recording a song or whatever, there are techies in the sound booth are mixing up the sound for you.

 

[Lanolin]

Sacrifice of Isaac would have been illogical had the angel hadnt stopped Abraham and Isaac hadnt believed in the resurrection.

I was sure that Isaac went along it cos somehow he knew, but pretended not to know, for his dads sake. Then the lamb came along.

 

[Kireina]

Emotional -9 lol


All of my decisions I would say most decisions I made in my life were based on my emotions (bad decisions ,sins and good decisons)



Logical -1 lol I consider people who are logical thinkers smarter... Well, I feel like they are not impulsive...they are meticulously sorting out things, they think deeply when problems arise to come up with a solution...and they don't get scammed easily lol 😆 and I am 80% or 99 % the opposite 😁


In many situations I tried to be more critical but my emotional side most of the time didn't agree...I am emotional and I need to balance it that is why I need His guidance and I ask for His wisdom everyday... 🙏🏻 😌

 

[Lynx]

Emotional -9 lol


All of my decisions I would say most decisions I made in my life were based on my emotions (bad decisions ,sins and good decisons)



Logical -1 lol I consider people who are logical thinkers smarter... Well, I feel like they are not impulsive...they are meticulously sorting out things, they think deeply when problems arise to come up with a solution...and they don't get scammed easily lol 😆 and I am 80% or 99 % the opposite 😁


In many situations I tried to be more critical but my emotional side most of the time didn't agree...I am emotional and I need to balance it that is why I need His guidance and I ask for His wisdom everyday... 🙏🏻 😌

I dunno... It takes at least a bit of logic to be aware of all the stuff you said about yourself. That last part you said requires even more. I think you have more logic than you think you have.