It is up to the protagonist in each chapter to overcome their emotion in order to listen to reason. Through his narratives, Levi’s characters prove that emotions limit logical judgment, where success in survival is stemmed from the ability to ignore emotions and listen to reason. Experts in the field of emotion, logic and cognitive beliefs have debated the topic of emotion versus logic for a very long time.
While some find their contradictory relationship arguable, many still believe that they are opposing forces, destined to remain irreconcilable. Dating all the way back to classic Greece, Plato proposed the chariot allegory in which the human soul is governed by two opposing horses; one representing spiritual boldness, the other representing animalistic desire. The fight between logic and emotion is very similar to the allegory in the sense that these two opposing forces govern moral judgment. Even today, this relationship is being discussed.
According to philosopher Patricia Greenspan, emotional states such as anger, fear, jealousy, contempt, sadness, disgust, joy, pride and shame “are commonly thought of as antithetical to reason, disorienting and distorting practical thought” (Kirman, 2).
Peter Goldie of the University of Manchester also agrees that “we are inclined to say that our emotions can and do profoundly distort our view of things” (Goldie, 1), arguing that “our emotions can mislead us profoundly” (2).
As substantiated by Levi’s characters, there is a fairly universal understanding that emotions can often limit judgment.
The Essay on The Role Of Happiness And Emotions
There is no right or wrong definition for the role of happiness. The main requirement is that your true feelings and emotions are the workhorse for the pursuit of happiness. However, the role of happiness includes everything required for you to be as happy as possible. Once you define what happiness means for you personally, therefore, you will be in a much better position to identify the steps ...
In the chapter ‘Mercury’, the protagonist, Abrahams, is successful in surviving life on the island by coming to a logical solution. Abrahams feels a tremendous amount of emotion and passion towards his wife, Maggie, claiming that he “would have murdered for her,” (Levi, 105).
Feeling so much hatred towards Maggie and Hendrik, Abrahams describes them as “a beast with two backs” and threatens to kill Hendrik, demonstrating his strong emotions and the irrational actions that come out of them (Levi, 105).
However, Abrahams is a man of logic and once he “managed to control himself” he got an idea (Levi, 105).
Abrahams rationalizes that “[the other woman’s] two children could help [him] take care of the pigs; Maggie would certainly not give [him] children,” and he believes that “Maggie and Hendrik would certainly get along very well together” (Levi, 108).
Using reason and sense, Abrahams helps his people so that they can reproduce, be satisfied, and flourish. Demonstrating Plato’s chariot allegory in action, he faces an internal struggle when he must choose between emotion and reason, deciding between his wife and a more logically suitable partner.
He is successful because he is able to ignore his emotions and understand that these would be the most logical and suitable pairings for everyone’s survival. It is clear that once he overcomes his jealousy towards Maggie and Hendrik that Abrahams reasons with a logical mind, ignoring his emotions and succeeding in his judgment. Fortunately, it is the same judgment and internal conflict that allows Lanza to be successful in his chapter. Although, like Abrahams, Lanza of the chapter ‘Sulfur’ is able to listen to reason in order to save his life, his strong emotions nearly get the best of him, risking his life.
When facing the kettle that is about to explode, Lanza reveals that he is a man of powerful emotion, and “was enraged, in a murderous wild rage against the kettle” (Levi, 162).
Immediately he begins banging at the kettle, which he views as an “ugly, reluctant beast” that he felt like “jumping…on and…kicking to pieces,” (Levi, 162).
“His fist clenched and his head bursting, Lanza was in a frenzy,” (Levi, 162) unable to control himself and risking his life against the kettle. It is only “when his anger had simmered down [and]…left his head cold and uncluttered”, that he “thought of the most obvious thing” (Levi, 162).
The Essay on Romantic Age Romantics Emotions Reason
The nineteenth century brought with it many new views and a large variety of themes. One of theses main ideas was known as Romanticism. The main point of the Romanticism was to focus on feelings not answers. It had an impact on many places. This was a believe of poetry, music, arts, and writing. This was a time for your emotions not your mind. It was a large step back from a modern society. he ...
Lanza’s perception on the circumstance changed as his emotions turned against him, and because of his emotions he feels the need to take irrational action to satisfy his anger. Just as Patricia Greenspan discusses, Lanza’s sense of practical thought has been distorted by his anger’s interference. However, despite how strong and seemingly uncontrollable his anger may have been, Lanza is able to see reason and come to what would have been an obvious solution if his emotions hadn’t gotten in the way and limited his judgment. Lanza demonstrates that when he is able to overcome his primal instinct to act out irrationally, he s free to see reason that would save his life. Unfortunately, Maria’s inability to see reason makes matters worse for her in her chapter. Unlike the previous two characters, Maria is unable to see through her fear and is therefore unable to reason that she is in a safe environment in the chapter ‘Titanium’. Maria is an interesting specimen, because in this chapter there is no life-threatening danger. However, because she is so afraid, Maria does not understand that she is safe, and ends up in a situation that she believes to be dangerous.
Maria “felt a delicious shiver of fear run through her” (Levi, 166) when she thought that the man would cut her. Despite that it is clear to her that “the man did not have knives either in his hand or near him,” she believes that “he could have one hidden,” and that “he did not seem to be angry, but rather good-natured and friendly” (Levi, 166).
Regardless of any restrictions or any reason to believe that there is no escape, Maria believes that “the circle was evidently magical” (Levi, 167) and that she truly is stuck.
Upon asking to be released, Maria claims, “at the bottom she was afraid that the man might hear” (Levi, 167).
She is too afraid of what would happen to her. It is her fear, this powerful, overwhelming emotion that profoundly distorts her perception of the situation, confirming Peter Goldie’s argument. She is even able to come to a semi-logical solution, but cannot follow through with it because she simply cannot understand that she was never really trapped, since her fear prevented her from believing so.
The Term Paper on The Role Of Emotion In Racial Prejudice
Racial prejudice was defined by Allport , one of the first researchers in psychology to investigate the issue, as “an aversive or hostile attitude towards a person who belongs to a group, simply because he or she belongs to that group, and is therefore presumed to have the objectionable qualities ascribed to that group. It is an antipathy based on a faulty and inflexible ...
It is unfortunate that Maria places herself in perceived danger, unable to see logic in her safety and ‘escape’ because her fear towards the old man is too overpowering. It has been discussed for years, it is present in everyday life, and it is evident in fiction and narrative. Emotions limit reason. Though the issue is far more complex than three simple words, the general understanding of the concept could not be clearer. In The Periodic Table, Primo Levi demonstrates the human need to overcome emotion in order to see reason and survive through his narratives.
Abrahams is able to overcome jealousy to find a suitable way for his population to survive, Lanza is able to overcome anger to save himself from an exploding kettle, but Maria is unable to overcome her fear and finds herself in self-imposed danger. However, it is not to be said that emotions should be ignored altogether. Many may argue that emotions are what make us human, and “we are inclined to say that emotional experience can sometimes tell us things about the world that reason alone will miss” (Goldie, 2).
So rather, it should instead be acknowledged that in order to survive in this world, a balance between emotion and reason must first be established. References Dorian, Pam. “Charioteer Allegory. ” The Digital Dialogue. N. p. , n. d. Web. 9 Apr. 2013. . Goldie, Peter. “Emotion, Reason and Virtue. ” Emotion, Evolution and Rationality 1 (2004): 249-267. Print. Kirman, Alan, Pierre Livet, and Miriam Teschl. “Rationality and Emotions. ” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Philosophy 365. 1538 (2009): 215-219. Web. 8 Apr. 2013. Levi, Primo. The Periodic Table. New York: Schocken Books, 1984. Print.
