EF29 SHOW NOTES
Looking to play or download the episode? Click here… EF29 (BTP-EF9): Waging War Between Reason and Emotions and the Importance of Leaving Things Unresolved— Behind the Podcast of Episode EF9
EPISODE EF29 SUMMARY
Spoiler alert: You’re about to listen to a Behind The Podcast (BTP) of Episode EF9, which was Season 1, Episode 7 of the Evolve Faster Podcast titled I Feel, Therefore I am: Capsized on the River Emotion. The driving question of this episode (and this AMA) for you to think through is … Can rationality and emotions coexist? It’s a fascinating question that actually has surprisingly little research or philosophical investigation.
As a reminder about Episode EF9: Elliott made a terrible mistake that’s been haunting him ever since. As if rafting through Class V rapids without a paddle, Elliott’s sanity is inches away from crashing into sharp rocks of guilt, shame and sadness. Where do we turn when it feels like our emotions have us hurtling out of control in dangerous waters? And is there any hope for recovery even once you’ve faced the reality of your situation head-on, in light of the power of these emotional currents?
The seventh episode of the first season of the Evolve Faster Podcast Episode is driven by the big question Can rationality and emotions coexist. It’s hard to juggle emotions and the need to be loyal to reason. But what is the need to be reasonable but another emotion?
To peek behind the curtain of Episode EF9, we’ll dissect the following submitted questions:
- Does it really just take venting all our emotions to get control of them?
- Why this question (Can rationality and emotions coexist?)?
- What would have happened if Elliot DID take the Mule?
- Did Edward know about the Mule, or was he only in the dark about the GUV’s involvement with the anti-immigrant groups?
- What does Edward do at the end? Does he send the letter? Should he?
- What does Elliot choose at the fork?
- Should Elliot kill himself considering he now has learned to face his emotions?
- Did Elliot call the cops on himself? Why?
- And more…
dedication
DEDICATION: Episode EF9 is dedicated to William James, the so-called Father of American Psychology whose prolific work in the field of psychology was the result of, at least in part, his own personal emotional struggles. James hard work on untangling the emotional knot further helped us realize how much influence emotions have on our decisions. Emotions can cause chaos, but also greatness; sometimes, the value of the emotional ride is greater than the truth itself.
James began as a physician and later entered a medical school. After graduating, he suddenly decided not to pursue a career in medicine. Instead, he became a lecturer, initially of physiology and later moving to psychology. Already in his late forties, James published The Principles of Psychology and a decade later another great work, The Varieties of Religious Experience.
The road to William James becoming a name almost synonymous with American Psychology was likely not a pleasant one. Having constant troubles with illness and depression, it’s a small miracle that James managed to provide so much incredible work. Or perhaps it is because of those struggles and not in spite of them?
HOW WILLIAM JAMES INSPIRES EF9
Episode EF9’s protagonist isn’t a scientist like James. But careful listeners might find the connection between an unstable emotional state and the hardship of flowing against the stream, as this is s
James left behind important cornerstone work for the development of American psychology. Make sure to check out his
- The Varieties Of Religious Experience: A Study In Human Nature, (1902).
- The Principles of Psychology, (1890).
- The Will to Believe, (1890).
- Video Lecture on James’ concept of the Sick Soul
inspirations
INSPIRATIONS: Carl Jung, one of the first scientists who managed to transfer Eastern ideas to Western society, who was also known for experimenting on himself to discover more about the world. David Hume, a famous philosopher who discovered the slave/slave owner relationship between us and emotions. Antonio Damasio, a neuroscientist whose contributions helped us realize the “cold” factual side of emotions and why we have them. Episode EF9 was further inspired by Charles Stevenson, Paul Ekman, Klaus Rainer Scherer, René Descartes, Thomas Hobbes. For a full list of data and references please see Episode EF9 Show Notes.
references
Evolve Faster Podcast EF7, https://evolvefaster.com/podcast/ef7-s1-e5-sleight-of-mind-the-black-magic-of-rhetoric/
Evolve Faster Podcast EF8, https://evolvefaster.com/podcast/ef8-s1-e6-without-a-compass-all-who-sail-the-seas-of-identity-are-not-lost/
episode quotes
Any of these quotes make you think? If so, please support the show by sharing…
On the river of life, it is the turbulent emotional moments we learn from the most; the calm parts will be forgotten.
Sometimes in life it is desperation, not absence, which makes the heart grow fonder.
Can we feel good without feeling bad first, and vice versa?
People who manage to find peace with the fact they will die, come to a realization that both the past and the future don’t matter; all that matters is now.
Emotions are a part of our primal instincts to survive and tools evolution gave us to live another day.