Human divinity

Abstract:” In my opinion, human beings' pursuit of rationality is more like the pursuit of divinity. However, human beings are always human beings and animals. In any case, they cannot get rid of sensibility.”

Key words: reason and emotion

Conservatively speaking, the relationship between reason and emotion has always been an important proposition in the history of literature, from the Republic of Ancient Greece to Sartre of postmodernism. With the establishment of Newton's classical mechanics in the 17th century, rationality gradually replaced the theology that emphasized perception and emotion and became the mainstream of human society for a long time afterwards. In the following centuries, mankind constantly reflected on rationality under the new era background, and finally constituted our current contemporary global ideological system.

The biological background of reason and emotion.

Based on the current "scientific analysis method" in the forefront of human society, I choose to analyze human rationality and sensibility from the perspective of human physiology.

 "The human brain simply has two major regions, the primordial brain and the cerebral cortex. The primitive part of the brain is responsible for emotion, and the cerebral cortex for reason. Animals also have primitive brains, because primitive brains are responsible for rapid thinking related to survival and danger. Humans, on the other hand, have evolved to accommodate increased social groups and relationships in a much more developed cerebral cortex than animals. " [a]

It is not difficult to see that the functions of emotion and rationality coexist in the human brain, while emotion belongs to a primitive function and rationality belongs to the product of the evolution of human cerebral cortex.

From a biological point of view, the relationship between reason and emotion is one of co-existence and rationality is superior to sensibility.

What are we talking about when we talk about reason and emotion.

Reason is the analytic faculty of the human mind that maintains objectivity unto inspecting and organizing perceptions. Reason stands for civilization, morality, law, logical thinking.[b] The tool for ancient Greek philosophers to pursue truth was reason. The whole axial age started the age of reason, which pulled mankind from ignorance to civilization.

Emotions are biological states associated with the nervous system brought on by neurophysiological changes variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavioural responses, and a degree of pleasure or displeasure. [c]Emotion is often linked with desire, and the incest in ancient Greek mythology shows a primitive romance. This contradiction between human emotion and social rationality and morality will always be an important theme in world literature.

Take Pride and Prejudice in 18th-century English literature for example

In Pride and Prejudice, Darcy is also faced with the choice between rationality and emotion. Elizabeth as a woman lower than her own class, Darcy chose to marry her, which to some extent went against the "morality" and rules required by his own class and family at that time and the so-called rationality in the secular concept. At this time, reason and emotion seem to be in absolute conflict, but in fact, the conflict is not the two abilities of reason and emotion, but the result of the two abilities. So, when we talk about whether reason and emotion are in conflict, in fact, the conflict is more the result of the two, this is not the same, reason and emotion as abilities, it is not contradictory, only the result projected by the two will be in conflict in reality.

From Schopenhauer in 19C to see whether reason always dominates everything.

Here I would like to quote Chang Nulun 's description of Schopenhauer's view of reason in the Fifteen Lectures of Modern Western Philosophy to express my view on whether reason always dominates everything:

"The function of reason, therefore, is first and foremost a function of biology, a tool invented by nature to meet human needs. Nevertheless, the function of reason is abstract, and its only function is that which constitutes the notion...

Western philosophy from the ancient reason, there is a strong tradition of rationalism, this tradition has been further strengthened in modern times...

Schopenhauer, however, pioneered the irrationalism of modern Western philosophy. In Schopenhauer's eyes, reason was far from the lofty position accorded by modern philosophers such as Kant, whom he admired. It is reason that elevates us above animals, but reason is not omnipotent. Reason does give us gains, but it also gives us losses. It often makes us lose the sensitivity of our senses. Even in the practice of life, reason is not a good guide to our behavior...

 For Schopenhauer, reason and its abstraction were not the most important, but the concreteness of life. To restrain the supremacy and hegemony of reason is not to oppose reason, but to restore fresh life. This is the basic train of thought of modern Western philosophy irrationalism. "[d]

Of course, human beings are not without reason. Maybe human beings do better than animals in some aspects because of reason, but reason is not omnipotent. We may also lose the emotional things that we gain through rational means. Too often in our lives, reason alone does not guide us very well. This is a flaw in reason.

This is also the subject of reflection in many modern literary works, discussing the various possibilities of human existence.

In modernism and postmodernism literature, for example, Camus' Sisyphus myth reveals an absurd existence, giving people a sense of chaos and powerlessness. His absurdity is not a new nihilistic hypothesis to discuss the relationship between reason and emotion.

Emotion, reason and divinity.

In my opinion, human beings' pursuit of rationality is more like the pursuit of divinity. However, human beings are always human beings and animals. In any case, they cannot get rid of sensibility. The all-knowing, all-good God does not exist in the eyes of atheists, but atheists seek knowledge and goodness through reason. In the final analysis, the excellent literary works of human beings always shine with the glory of humanitarianism. Humanism is the eternal core of literature, while the issues of rationality and emotion revolve around the fact that human beings are thinking about the relationship between themselves and the world, resisting and exploring the world. Thank all mankind.

[a] https://www.zhihu.com/question/368578333/answer/1063787639

[b]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/reason

[c]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotion

[d] Zhang Nulun , Fifteen Lectures of Modern Western Philosophy,[M]Beijing:Peking University Press,2003