Let's get logical, logical!

The Question: What does logic lack, leave out, or preclude?

The Answer (in Megan's terms): A lot. I wish I could just leave it there, but alas that is not enough words. Let me begin with the statement that logic is great. Thinking about things and solutions, absent of the feelings that I have in regards to those things is sometimes quite a wonderful way to approach a situation. Emotions are also great; in my opinion they are really what makes us human--although they can be a pain in the ass half of the time. Approaching a situation with emotions in mind, and the ways in which the situation affects people emotionally is also a good approach.

By the readings, it seems that Logic and Emotion sit on two different sides of a binary. In this world, logic disregards emotion, and emotion disregards logic. It seems to me, that the problem with logic is that it entirely disregards emotion and when it does regard emotion, it looks at emotion as if that is the downfall of logic. To be logical is to be entirely apathetic, to be emotional is to be entirely irrational. Herein lies the problem. I think that in making almost any decision we cannot do so without considering how it will effect us emotionally.

Let's take something relationships for example. Given the binary of logic and emotion, there are two paths to take. The first is that you take the path of least resistance. This path is direct, clear cut, there is an end in sight (as in the example Kaylee gave us of her friend Jake). This is the path of logic. The second is the path directed by the heart's whims. This path has hills and depressions, it has twists and turns and surprises around every corner, the end is a mystery. In a world where logic and emotion must be exclusive of each other, we must only pick one path--and in a world where Logic is King, the first path is always the one we choose.

Although, ideally, we pick the most direct path to the truth but also the path that makes us the most happy. In the real world, I think we are incapable of choosing one of these two paths without the other path affecting that choice. We choose the path that may be more emotionally driven, more windy and twisty and complicated, but also the one that we hope leads to our ideal endpoint. We can't necessarily see the end, but we foresee and ideal end. Just like Kim pointed out, logic gets us from Point A to Point B, but I think emotion makes the trip worth while. There's got to be a balance of each to make reaching Point B worth the trip it took to get there.

I think this brings me around to saying that the rhetorical experience is what makes logic and emotion worth reconciling. I think that rhetorical experience is the one that regards both logic and emotion as necessary equals. Maybe this makes sense in only my own brain, honestly that's probably been the case all semester so far. But hey, my brain works in strange ways when it comes to rhetorical thingy-ma-bobs.