Reason and Emotion in Critical Thinking

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It was once believed that reason is what separates humans from other animals. Reason is the process of supporting a claim or conclusion on the basis of evidence. Up until the nineteenth century it was widely accepted that humans were a special creation and that there was a divinely ordered Chain of Being with God at the top, followed by angels, next by humans, and then by the so-called higher animals. In a book written by Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man, Darwin implied that many animals are not driven by instinct alone, that instead they are capable of abstract thought and reason. Aside from abstract thinking, reason has a behavioral component. For example, if your friends with a group of people you think may get you in to trouble you will probably change your behavior in order to distance yourself from them. Healthy emotional development, also referred to as emotional intelligence is positively related to abstract reasoning ability. Emotional intelligence is “the ability to perceive accurately, appraise and express emotion; the ability to access and/or generate feeling when they facilitate thought; the ability to understand emotion and emotional knowledge; and the ability to regulate emotions to promote emotional and intellectual growth. Influencing type emotions usually have a positive effect on us and help us make better decisions. Examples of influencing emotions are empathy, outrage, love, happiness and even guilt. Sometimes the inability to communicate our emotions can negatively affect our behavior and decisions. Emotions can help us make better decisions but critical thinking can be hindered by other emotions that trigger negative stereo types and anxieties coming from unresolved past experiences. Anger and fear are some examples of negative emotions. People that are fearful usually give up too easily or seem to deny that they even have a problem.
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