Emotion is not opposed to reason; rather, emotions assign value to things, and without emotional processing, people cannot make decisions. Cognitive science shows that people with lesions preventing emotional processing become unable to decide what they like, refuting the Platonic prejudice that reason is reliable and passions are wild horses to suppress.
factualpending
Speaker
David BrooksEvidence Quote
“your emotions assign value to things. And if you can't assign a value, you can't decide what you like.”
Source
David Brooks: America Has a Moral Problem, Not a Political One | Prof G Conversations— The Prof G Pod – Scott GallowayCreated: 8/12/2026, 6:39:10 PM
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