What is the essence of the conflict between reason and feeling? Every thought and feeling is of the nature of neuronal activity. It may be talking about hormonal feelings, but hunger is not that. When does conflict arise between feelings and reason? How does a conflict arise between reason and feeling?

11.04.2021

Shumikhina Ekaterina

What is a feeling? What is the mind? I think that feeling and reason are two opposing parts of human power. They are often in a state of conflict. When a person lives by feelings, without recognizing the laws of reason, he often makes a fatal mistake. But when does this conflict arise? To understand this, let's turn to the works of Russian writers.

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Let us recall the work of N.M. Karamzin “ Poor Lisa" Where the main character Lisa loves Erast very much. They are from different walks of life, but this does not stop them from being together. Over time, Erast's feelings fade away. Erast acts wisely and prudently when he tries to pay off his gambling debt by marrying a rich widow. Lisa, having learned about his lies and betrayal, rushes between feelings and reason. And under the influence of feelings he makes the worst mistake in his life. She commits suicide - this is unacceptable. Life must go on, no matter what.

Another example is the work of N.V. Gogol “Taras Bulba”. A terrible conflict occurs in the soul of Taras Bulba’s young son, Andriy. He fell in love with a beautiful Polish girl and betrayed his father, brother, and Fatherland. His feelings and reason came into strong conflict with each other. And feelings won. Andriy paid severely for his betrayal and died at the hands of his father. Andriy's terrible mistake was that he was guided only by feelings. This conflict occurred due to the fact that Andriy had little life experience. He failed to analyze his actions, did not consult with more experienced people, and did not ask anyone for advice. Feelings took precedence over all reasonable actions and led to a terrible tragedy.

Feelings and mind should live in peace and harmony. It's difficult, but possible. If a person works on himself, he will be able to come to a solution to any issues. Not only with the sensory element, but also with the help of the mind. All this leads to harmony in relation to other people. Works fiction give us invaluable lessons about how we should build our relationships with other people. What laws should they live by? These lessons are invaluable experience for us, which we must heed.

Thus, the given examples from fiction allow us to conclude that the mind and feelings must be in harmony. This allows us to avoid rash actions that we young people often commit. This is what works of fiction teach, which give us invaluable life lessons.

It was not by chance that I chose the topic of internal conflict between feeling and reason. Feeling and reason are two of the most important forces in a person’s inner world, which very often come into conflict with each other. There are situations when feelings oppose reason. What happens in such a situation? Undoubtedly, this is very painful, alarming and extremely unpleasant, as a person rushes about, suffers, and loses ground under his feet. His mind says one thing, but his feelings raise a real riot and deprive him of peace and harmony. As a result, an internal struggle begins, which often ends very tragically.

A similar internal conflict is described in I. S. Turgenev’s work “Fathers and Sons.” Evgeny Bazarov, the main character, shared the theory of “nihilism” and denied literally everything: poetry, music, art and even love. But the meeting with Anna Sergeevna Odintsova, a beautiful, intelligent, woman unlike others, became a decisive event in his life, after which his internal conflict began. Unexpectedly, he felt a “romantic” in himself, capable of deeply feeling, worrying and hoping for reciprocity. His nihilistic views failed: it turns out that there is love, there is beauty, there is art. The strong feelings that gripped him begin to fight against rationalistic theory, and life becomes unbearable. The hero cannot continue scientific experiments or engage in medical practice - everything falls out of hand. Yes, when such a discord occurs between feeling and reason, life sometimes becomes impossible, since the harmony that is necessary for happiness is disrupted, and the internal conflict becomes external: family and friendly ties are disrupted.

One can also recall the work of F. M. Dostoevsky “Crime and Punishment”, which analyzes the rebellion of the main character’s feelings. Rodion Raskolnikov nurtured the “Napoleonic” idea of a strong personality who has the right to break the law and even kill a person. Having tested this rationalistic theory in practice, having killed the old pawnbroker, the hero experiences torment of conscience, the impossibility of communicating with family and friends, and practically becomes morally and physically ill. This painful condition arose due to the internal conflict of human feelings and fictitious theories.

So, we analyzed situations where feelings oppose reason, and came to the conclusion that it is sometimes detrimental to a person. But, on the other hand, it is also a signal that one must listen to one’s feelings, since far-fetched theories can destroy both the person himself and cause irreparable harm and unbearable pain to the people around him.

Conversation with the teacher of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, Archpriest Konstantin Konstantinov.

Very often in life we are faced with a situation when we cannot cope with our feelings. And we even understand that by succumbing to these feelings, we can harm ourselves, but nevertheless we do not listen to the voice of reason. Why is there a conflict between feelings and reason? We will talk about this with Archpriest Konstantin Konstantinov, candidate of biological sciences, teacher of bioethics at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. Father Konstantin was the eldest for many years research fellow Physiological Department named after I.P. Pavlov at the Institute of Experimental Medicine.

Why doesn’t our mind have power over our feelings?

To begin with, it must be said that this was not always the case. The primordial man, the first Adam, was a perfect man, in whom all the powers of the soul were in harmony. As a rule, the holy fathers mention three main forces of the soul. Translating to modern language, we can designate them as follows: will, reason and feeling. From the moment of the Fall, discord began between these three forces, that is, dissonance or schism arose between them.

Initially this was not the case, let us emphasize. Initially, a person is a holistic being, in which all the forces and properties of the soul are in harmonious relationships with each other. But after the Fall the situation changed dramatically. The Holy Fathers emphasize that the enemy of the human race is not able to destroy human nature, but he can distort it. The distortion of human nature partly lies in the fact that the relationship between the basic forces of the soul (mind, feelings, will) has become discordant. This point was expressed very well by the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans: “I do not do what I want, but what I hate, I do.” ». This phrase shows the contradiction between my actions (or, let’s say, between my “wills,” the aspiration of my will) and what I want.

But it is interesting to note: it was then, almost two thousand years ago, that the Apostle Paul said that he does not do what he wants. Modern man does exactly what he wants, but he wants sin, that’s the point. That is modern man very often, without thinking, he surrenders to the will of feelings, accepts them as truth. And quite often, without even trying to analyze these feelings, without trying to give them a moral assessment, he subordinates his will to these feelings. But even a person who evaluates these feelings sees that they are sinful, serve the pleasure or gratification of the flesh, carnal desires, very often he is forced to admit to himself that he is unable to resist them.

Why does this situation arise? The fact is that a person’s feelings or drives, in the language of physiology and psychophysiology - the motivational sphere of our mental activity or our behavior - are based on real biological needs. Let us again emphasize the spiritual point: this situation arose after the Fall, when man’s spiritual powers became subordinated to carnal and exclusively material tendencies. Initially it wasn't like that. It is very interesting that, for example, the Apostle John the Theologian in his epistle speaks about the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and also about the pride of life. These are, as it were, the main passions with which the soul of an already fallen person is overwhelmed.

So, our needs at the moment are to a greater extent (ninety, if not ninety-nine percent) determined by biological needs. Hence, corresponding motivation arises, which is designed to satisfy these biological needs. Hence the corresponding feelings, which are very difficult for the mind to resist. And it turns out that the mind is in a subordinate state in relation to feelings and biological needs.

- Fine. Where do these feelings originate? In the head or in the heart?

Of course, posing the question already presupposes a certain context. You say “head”, probably implying brain activity. This means that you probably consider the “heart” in this question literally as an anatomical organ. Of course, the holy fathers, speaking about the heart and reflecting on the movements of the heart, did not in any way mean an anatomical organ. The fact is that the terminology that we often use (spirit, soul, heart, mind) in a theological context is not absolutely verified. There are always some deviations of meaning here. Therefore, very often it is difficult for you and me to judge what exactly the holy fathers meant when they used different terms - in one case “heart”, in another case “mind”, in a third “soul”. Difficult. But the general context of their messages and writings is approximately this: we are talking about a certain core, a certain focus of the human soul. Let's just say about some depth or core.

That is, the heart is in in this case is considered, of course, not as an anatomical organ, but precisely as the mysterious depth of the human soul. Of course, we are extremely interested in how this relates to modern terminology, modern concepts, including scientific ones. What can we offer instead of the term “heart” in the sense as understood by the holy fathers? Probably the best interpretation of the concept of “heart” from a scientific point of view will be approximately the following: the motivational-emotional sphere of our mental activity. That is, those mechanisms (if we are talking about physiology, and it takes place here, without a doubt) that form our motivations and our emotions and which are really in a subordinate state in relation to our rational, analytical, intellectual abilities.

And by the term “head” you most likely meant some kind of rational, intellectual activity. And in this regard, of course, we can say that feelings have more to do with the motivational-emotional sphere of brain activity than with the intellectual, rational, analytical. And so on.

- Father Konstantin, tell us how to learn to manage our feelings.

The question is very difficult. It is unlikely that I can fully answer it. It seems to me that in the modern world this art has been largely lost. The holy fathers fully mastered the art of self-government. And, by the way, they set themselves the most important task - to subjugate various feelings, drives, and impressions. Let us note: be very attentive to your impressions, to what enters into us, what we experience, what our inner world is doing. This is very important point. A person shapes his soul with all the thoughts and desires that he accepts or does not accept. Indeed, a colossally urgent task arises of owning or managing, or establishing order in one’s inner world. Therefore, your question is extremely relevant: how to learn to manage?

What can we say here? Let's read the holy fathers. There is a lot of advice given there. The first point: to begin with, just be attentive - to your thoughts, to your emotional movements, impressions. The Holy Fathers emphasize stages. For example, the staged development of a particular thought or desire. Desire does not arise immediately, instantly, in full and with all its strength. There are certain stages in the development of desire. In the first two, a person has enough strength to reject this or that desire as soon as it has been identified or assessed.

For example, a desire suddenly arose for one reason or another (we will not discuss the reasons now, they can be very different). But it arose, and a person immediately has the right to give a moral assessment: he accepts this desire or does not accept it. Let us emphasize once again: on moral foundations, on the foundations of the commandments of Christ. For example, we say that desire is sinful. If we give this assessment at the very beginning, at the very first moment of desire, we have enough strength to reject it. Or, using intellectual rational efforts, say: “No, desire, I don’t accept you.”

But if the desire has developed, if we have given it the will to develop, if it already produces many, many associations, fantasy pictures, and so on, then it is very, very difficult to overcome it. After all, a person accepts it as truth and subordinates his will to this desire. That is why the task of paying attention to your feelings is very important.

Let's emphasize again: feelings do not arise instantly, they always develop. They are very easy to stop, or suspend, or direct in a different direction in the first stages of development, when they have not yet fully mastered their strength and power. If we have given them the will or the opportunity to develop fully, then it can be almost impossible to stop them - the Holy Fathers warn about this. Actually, this is exactly how the death of a person occurs in relation to eternity, that is, the fall into one or another sin, when a person simply missed the emergence of certain feelings. Once a feeling has arisen, it is very strong and it is very difficult to heal.

Reading the lives of the holy fathers, we see what a difficult, cruel struggle there is in relation to certain feelings on the part of the holy fathers. But, mind you, they set themselves the task of overcoming these feelings! But modern man now does not even pose such a task. But if it is relevant, if it has arisen, then it is necessary to admit that such an influx of feelings is possible that one cannot overcome oneself, on one’s own. And all that remains is to pray to God: “Lord, give me strength, give me the grace to overcome and somehow extinguish these internal very strong spiritual movements.”

By the way, the holy fathers described this: when such requests were very urgent, the Lord heard and seemed to extinguish certain sinful movements. Our heart sometimes gives in under the steady pressure of the mind. That is, if we persistently tell ourselves that this is a bad desire, that we must resist it; in the end, if we persevere, the mind will win. But the question is who will defeat whom from the very beginning, who will win faster: desire or reason?

Thank you, Father Konstantin, for a very useful conversation for each of us. Unfortunately, it’s time for us to say goodbye. Thank you!

For the benefit of you and everyone watching!

Dear TV viewers, since ancient times the world has known the thought: “Know yourself!” The Holy Reverend Fathers of the Church speak about the same thing, emphasizing the importance of knowing oneself in the matter of saving the soul. To this we can add the words of the great Russian poet Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin: “Learn to control yourself.”

Presenter Ekaterina Solovyova

Recorded by Tatyana Muravyova

Feelings and reason play a huge role in the life of each of us. Events occurring in a person’s life often cause strong emotions and deep experiences, and they are often the motive, the impetus for action and unexpected actions. Reason represents common sense, cold calculation necessary to achieve the most profitable and practically useful result. Reason is given to us in order to control our feelings. Feelings are uncontrollable emotions that can knock a person out of the usual rhythm of life, disrupt his plans and direct them in a different direction. Often it is the conflict between feelings and reason that prevents a person from continuing his life calmly, forcing him to choose one of the paths: feelings and reason encourage different, opposite actions.

This problem is raised in Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm”. The main character found herself in completely unexpected circumstances: after marriage, her life became boring, she experienced endless humiliation from Kabanikha, her husband’s mother. The new family, the new rules confused the deeply religious, sincere Katerina; most of all, she suffered in her husband’s house from the despotism of her mother-in-law, from the feeling of lack of freedom. Tikhon, her husband, was completely subordinate to his mother, and found solace in his business trips, where he allowed himself a lot. The emerging love for Boris led to a deep conflict in Katerina’s soul between feeling and reason. Being a believer, she understood how sinful her feeling was, but she could not cope with it. Having started dating Boris, she was still internally restless, tormented by her conscience, expecting heavenly punishment. And here, too, feelings took precedence over reason: Katerina publicly admits her sin and, of course, is subjected to humiliation and even greater oppression in her husband’s family. Boris leaves by order of Dikiy for Siberia, refusing to take Katerina with him. And she rushes to the Volga because she could no longer stay in her husband’s house, where living had become completely unbearable.

The life of Andriy, one of the heroes of N.V.’s story, also ended in death. Gogol "Taras Bulba". A conflict arose in his soul between reason and feeling, also because of love. He fell in love with a Polish woman, a representative of a people hostile to him. Andriy understood that his duty to the Fatherland could not allow him to be near his beloved. However, feelings for the girl turned out to be stronger than love for the Motherland, family, father. Love led Andriy to betrayal and death at the hands of his father.

Love, leading to a conflict between feeling and reason, is also described in the story by I.A. Bunin "Dark Alleys". Main character Nikolai Alekseevich stayed briefly at a private hotel, the owner of which he recognized as his former lover Nadezhda, with whom he had been close in his youth, but meanly abandoned him. She confessed to him that she still loved him just as much as before. And Nikolai realized that that period of his life when they loved each other was the happiest in his life, that for his act - he abandoned Nadezhda - he paid with fate: his beloved wife left, and his son did not grow up the way Nikolai Alekseevich wanted him to be . It would seem that now, after so many years, the relationship between Nikolai Alekseevich and Nadezhda could develop happily! But no. The hero’s mind rejects the possible connection; class prejudices are too strong in him. He cannot imagine that Nadezhda will become the mistress of his St. Petersburg house, the mother of his children. So the mind deprives Nikolai Alekseevich of a possible happy personal life.

Thus, most often the conflict between feeling and reason arises due to love and leads to human suffering. Guided by feelings, a person can get into trouble; acting based on reason, he deprives himself of happiness. Apparently, only a harmonious balance of reason and feeling, the absence of conflict between them, can contribute to a happy fate.

The theme of the essay: “Reason and feelings are two forces that equally need each other.” V.G. Belinsky.

What is the mind? Sobriety of thought, calculation, reason, cold heart? What is a feeling? Infatuation, emotion, momentary passion or a higher spiritual impulse?

According to the critic Belinsky, “reason and feelings are two forces that equally need each other.” And one cannot but agree with him. Reason and feeling are dependent on each other, they are very closely intertwined, it is impossible to break the thin thread between them.

There are situations in a person’s life when feeling prevails over reason. As popular wisdom says, “if you love something, your mind will give up.” It is impossible to say for sure whether this is good or bad. This can lead to either a happy ending or a very sad one.
This also happened to the heroine of Kuprin’s story “Olesya”. The girl fell madly in love and gave herself over to this feeling. Although she knew perfectly well what this would lead to, she knew that a sad outcome was inevitable, but at that moment the feeling prevailed over the mind. She did not regret for a second that she allowed her mind to retreat, as she experienced true happiness. Such happiness that not everyone is given the opportunity to experience in life.
Is it good when reason prevails over feelings? A question to which there is also no clear answer. You can not show your feelings and remain unhappy, while making the one you love unhappy. For what? Does this make sense?

In Pushkin's novel “Eugene Onegin,” feeling and reason collided several times. The first was when “the mind gave way” and Tatyana, succumbing to her first deep feeling, confessed her love to Eugene, which was unacceptable for a girl at that time. Her attempt was in vain. For Eugene, she was just a child and he believed that her fire of love would go out as quickly as it lit up. Little could he imagine that years later he would find himself in her place. But Tatyana appears to us no longer as a little girl. She had learned by this time to manage her feelings with the help of common sense. Despite her love for Eugene, she remained faithful to the man who loved her. Was she happily married? I think not completely, because I loved someone else. Was Evgeny happy? Again, it seems to me that it’s not complete. After all, if it was true love, then reason only made it worse.

Guided only by reason, you can remain unhappy for the rest of your life. Guided only by feelings, you can find yourself in situations after which unbearable mental pain will remain forever. It turns out that the mind and feelings need each other and it is very difficult to live guided by one thing.

Internal conflict: reason versus feelings.

First you need to understand what feelings and reason are. These are two important forces in a person’s inner world, which very often conflict. There are situations when feelings prevail over reason and a person becomes unable to control himself, but sometimes reason takes over. When discussing the topic of mind and feelings, you wonder whether these two forces should be in harmony. And in literary works we can see this conflict and understand it well.

Let us recall Kuprin’s work “Garnet Bracelet”. It tells us about the unrequited love of a stranger for Princess Vera Nikolaevna. Zheltkov, that same stranger, a common person, who lived with a feeling of love for Vera Nikolaevna. Zheltkov understood that he would never be with Vera, she had a husband, but even the fact that she simply received his letters was enough for him; he did not even expect an answer from her. But time passed when he was forbidden to write to her, forbidden to do what he lived for. And he decides to commit suicide. All his feelings overshadow his mind, and he cannot cope with himself or his feelings.
A similar situation exists in Karamzin’s work “Poor Liza.” The main character, poor peasant woman Liza, falls in love with a young man, Erast. And it seems their love will never stop. Lisa completely surrenders to her feelings, but the young nobleman loses interest and goes on a military campaign, where he loses all his fortune and is forced to marry a rich widow. For Lisa, this becomes a severe blow; she experiences mental pain, but cannot cope with it, jumps into the pond. The mind fails to overcome the feelings, and Lisa makes a huge mistake.