Practice Flashcards
Flip to reveal answersEmotion vs reason — the debate?
Track your progress — Sign up free to save your progress and get smart review reminders based on spaced repetition.
All 8 Flashcards — Emotion vs reason
Sign up free to track progress and get spaced-repetition review schedules.
Question
Emotion vs reason — the debate?
Answer
Are humans basically rational or basically emotional — is the head or the heart really in charge?
Question
Descartes on emotion and reason?
Answer
The passions mislead, so reason should rule and keep them in check.
Question
What did Descartes call the emotions?
Answer
The 'passions' — strong feelings that are useful signals but unreliable rulers.
Question
Hume: 'reason is the slave of the passions'?
Answer
Reason alone never moves us; only feeling makes things matter, so reason serves our feelings.
Question
One weakness of 'reason should rule'?
Answer
With no feeling at all, nothing would matter — even caring about truth is itself a feeling.
Question
One weakness of 'feeling drives us'?
Answer
If feeling rules, it's hard to criticise cruel desires — and reason can reshape feelings, not just serve them.
Question
The partnership answer?
Answer
Feeling supplies what we care about; reason works out how to get it and can correct feelings built on false beliefs.
Question
Descartes vs Hume in one line?
Answer
Descartes: reason should rule feeling. Hume: feeling rules, and reason is its servant.
Read the notes
Full study notes for Emotion vs reason
Topic 1.5 hub
Human nature
More from Topic 1.5
All flashcards in this topic
Philosophy exam skills
Paper structures & tips
Track your progress with spaced repetition
Sign up free — Aimnova tells you exactly which cards to review and when, so you remember everything before your IB exam.
Start Free