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Although feelings have their good points, when it comes to making a decision, I recommend reason over feelings.
For example, it would be easier for the gay community to get their benefits under a word other than "marriage." But they rather get all angry, call people bigots and claim that they are entitled.
Societies prefer to be homogeneous. Regardless of how good or bad that may be, that is the way it is. A well dressed black man goes a lot further than a black man dressed like a gangster (unless he's some kind of celebrity which are few and far in between). Think about Bill Cosby, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, etc. VS the homie in the hood.
Where I'm from nobody really cares about feelings. People get on with things. I think it's mostly richer people who've got so much time and money on their hands that they think about themselves too much.
I feel that Western society has caused a lot of people to lose sight of the world; they're a lot more self-centered than they should be. As a result, there's a lot of feelings that aren't (yeah, I'll say it) valid.
And to make things worse, there's entitlement issues (I DESERVE a high paying job and good stuff even though I talk down to people, ignore school and tell off co-workers).
But that's Western society. Western society cares too much about feelings and junk. The world (which is made up of people in non-developed countries, for the majority), not so much.
And of course, this definitely doesn't apply to all people.
I do agree that todays world cares too much about feelings. You can already see this in todays high schools. Most everyone cares about how another person is feeling and they act off that persons emotions.These habits that we pick up in school end up following us for the rest of our lives.So in all reality, todays world does care to much, especially about the little problems
i agree we let other peoples opinions and let their emotions cloud ours we as a general public go off of what others are feeling instead of going off what we feel we have been brained washed and told over and over again to be nice and considerate of others feelings but at what cost? where do we as a whole draw the line? yes to a extent we should care for others feelings but not at the price of hiding how we feel about a certain topic or person the truth needs always to be spoken whether it offends people or not the only people the truth will ever offended will be those who are not happy or secure with themselves
You can make a better case than that. My dog could make a better case than that...I'm not trying to insult you, I'm just saying it would be a lot better if you said why you think that, rather than just state it. I know that you can say why, and make a better argument than this, so I think you should.
Just making a statement rather than a case. No point writing anything big until there's actually a few responses. You should think before you type as to why I didn't put a lot.
Okay, I'm sorry. I was a little rude. It just gets on my nerves when people make statements without giving their reasoning in debates. It's very easy for an online debate to become "Yuhuh" vs. "Nuhuh", you know?
"Power isn't a feeling. Respect isn't a feeling. Morals, honour etc isn't feelings."
You are partly right; Respect/Power/Honor is a feeling, but not an emotion.
You can feel powerful and respected, as well as honored.
We need to think about feelings and emotions, let's take a serial killer for example.
Does he feel guilt or remorse for what he did? Probably not, unless he's at his execution or on his deathbed. What I'm saying is, a lack of feelings is something to be concerned about.
I’ll forego (unless provoked otherwise) a brutal assault against your hasty question. Yet, in response to your question, I will provide a reason (via Socratic method) for you to live that may exceed your sole purpose to satisfy your emotions. And after having done so, I will leave to you the decision of determining what in fact it is that you live for and that which you don’t live for.
Are you gay?
Do you support gay marriage?
If gay marriage becomes universally accepted, which is more important to you: the universal acceptance of gay marriage, or your joy of the universal acceptance of gay marriage?
So, what is it that you live for, your joy, or the universal acceptance of gay marriage? (We’ll presume the necessity of gay marriage for this dialogue.)
I could submit a plethora of examples that evidence you do not live for emotions. But, I think one example is sufficient to shine a light upon the darkness of your hasty question.
(BTW, Our emotions are consequences, not causes. We don’t create causes for the purpose of a possible satisfaction of an emotion/s.)
I want to agree with you, but in my experience emotions can also be causes.
When I feel very happy and cheerful, I am very likely to do something nice for someone. In this case, my emotion is the cause of my actions.
We don’t create causes for the purpose of a possible satisfaction of an emotion/s.
Well... we do build roller coasters :o)
.
Having said that, I agree with you on a fundamental level. My life has always felt the most meaningful when I wasn't acting to satisfy my emotions. When my emotions where simply a by product of what I did.
Yet ultimately, what is it which we are attempting to satisfy? Are we attempting to satisfy an emotion or are we attempting to satisfy a rational purpose?
Well it depends on who "we" is. In order to attempt to satisfy a rational purpose, you need to first have developed a rational mind and thought processes that take you beyond the entrappings of the ego. It's obvious that not everybody out there has developed such character.
And even those that have, will still go through moments or phases when they are prompted by their feelings.
Ultimately however, I agree with you, life is far more meaningful when we are acting for a rational purpose.
I cannot think of one example wherein reason is not the foundation of an emotion response. And I might even go so far to say that is by reason alone we possess emotions.
Can you think of any examples that completely exclude reason as a causal or contributing factor of emotional responses?
Yes, I am seeking a challenge for my own purposes.
No, I can't think of an example that completely excludes reason.
But I can think of a few times when I was so happy that I simply wanted to share it with other people by doing something nice for the sake of it. On first analysis, in those moments, I think it was emotion that triggered the action, even though I later justified the action with reasons.
Having said that, a psychologist would probably be able to determine the exact reasons of why my emotion triggered my need to do something good. So ultimately, on a subcontious level, maybe it was reason that prompted me after all.
Thanks for your response, I like to revisit the conclusions of previous studies for the purpose of re-evaluating the soundness of my logic. I was hoping that you could have submitted a test for such, because I am certainly dry of ideas that test the old thoughts of my mind.
So, what is it that you live for, your joy, or the universal acceptance of gay marriage?
Ah, there's a word there that doesn't belong: "your".
You assume I am referring to my own emotions. I'm not. I'm referring to everyone's. The capacity of mankind to feel joy and fulfillment is what gives meaning to life.
Everyone enjoys different things, though. So in reality, none of that shit matters.
We should just structure society so that no one can interfere with anyone else. Gay marriage shouldn't be legal because it makes gays happy, it should be legal because it doesn't do shit to anyone else.
Rape should be illegal, even though it makes rapists happy.
Looking at how things should be through an emotional perspective just limits us. Through logic, we know that there are good things about emotion and bad things, so we must make sure that the emotions being filled aren't hurting others. No matter how we try to look at this, logic beats emotion. emotion is just feeling, logic is thinking things through.
Everyone enjoys different things, though. So in reality, none of that shit matters.
What? How does people enjoying different things imply enjoyment doesn't matter?
I mostly agree with the rest of what you said, except I think you are missing a key point: Without emotion there is no point to life. Logic exists to serve our feelings. It's true we should restrain our emotions at times, but that's only because by doing so we can attain greater, sustained enjoyment (a pleasant life) in the long run.
You assume I am referring to my own emotions. I'm not. I'm referring to everyone's.
I assumed (and rightly I might add) that the emotions of mankind are common to all men, including you. And consequently I personalized my response to your post because I am addressing you, not mankind.
The capacity of mankind to feel joy and fulfillment is what gives meaning to life.
By reason only, we are capable of determining meaning to life.
Explain to me how the capacity of mankind to "feeljoy and fulfillment" gives meaning to life when in fact only reason enables us to determine a meaning/s to life?
Most people use the terms ‘meaning’ and ‘purpose’ synonymously. Sometimes I do, and sometimes I do not establish a distinction between the two, but when necessary I’ll normally distinguish the two. In this discourse the definition of meaning and purpose are equivalent.
Or something like that. Perhaps it would be more clear if I simply say, "joy is good". We know it's good because we experience it that way.
Joy is good.
That is a proposition that affirms the quality ‘good’ as an attribute of joy. And as such it is a proposition which evidences by reason that reason alone imputes the judgment of ‘good’.
Answer this compound question as honestly as you can: Do we derive purpose of life from the emotions of life or do we derive purpose by judging what is good or not good and then associate that judgment with a certain emotion?
As for me, I simply hold the view that my emotions will never change. But what seems to change is the judgments that my mind has formed by reason. And for this latter cause I am driven to pursue the fruit of reason regardless of the associated emotions that are stimulated.
Perhaps this example will further reveal what my word usage may be veiling:
Getting drunk often was joyful until the day I judged that drunkenness is not good for me.
However, you could argue that whether I am drunk or sober, I am happy. And I would reply that is true, but because my purpose in life is greater than my emotions I am therefore a better man because of reason despite the associated emotions with sobriety or drunkenness.
(I am not only the President of AA I am a member) Just kidding!!!!!!
You're living for their wellbeing.. development.. growth.. etc. Fucking hell..... people aren't just a bunch of emotions. There's soooo much more to a family then a bunch of fucking feelings. Don't you think before you type?
And yes the world is too selfish. Guess what brought that on though? Capitalism and Individualism. That's a done argument.. idiots will try and argue against it but selfish is in those definitions...
You're not saying that feelings are a fundamental source. You're saying there's nothing else to live for. lol. Which there obviously is. As I have just explained.
Feelings are everywhere. They coincide with everything. Doesn't mean they're to live for. They coincide with the good AND the bad. Doesn't mean everything happens due to feelings. IF you live life around satisying your own feelings then I truly feel sorry for you. I could be happier dossing around and living off my parents. Going out everyday with friends. OR I could go to my shitty job and earn a living. I'll have less spare time, spend less time with friends but I'll actually be doing better for myself rather while feeling shitter about it.
Now get your e-face out of e-here. LOL internet nerd...
Yeah, and why are you doing that? Because this will give you greater sustained happiness in the long run. Or it will prevent suffering. Or it will do so for your family. Probably all of the above. Either way, you're ultimately living for somebody's feelings.
No actually. Half the world don't give two craps about you or your feelings. Especially with now a day corruption. I bet if you wert to be diagnosed with cancer or something bad, people wouldn't give a. People are greedy and even if they did care, they actually don't. We only care if it involves us or if it's something bad to happen to them. If you were going to punch me because you were mad, obviously I'd care. Other than that I'm sure nobody would care if you were sulking in a corner unless it involved them or it got on their nerves.
Stupid woman did you listen to yourself? Did you even understand my title post or arguments??
I'm not talking about me. I'm talking about westerners and themselves.
Your post is full of bullshit tbh.. you only addressed the issue of selfishness.
You're telling me that todays world is as tough as it used to be? That peoples feelings aren't put first?
Let me give you an example:
How easy is it to say something that 'may be hurtful' to minorities. Why can't you say something that might be hurtful. Because of their fucking feelings.
No, the world does not care too much about feelings. First of all, feeling may be the most important virtue in human life, and feelings are the foundation of morality. The most important thing in your life is if you lived a happy or sad life. Therefore, the world should care tremendously about feelings.