Some educational systems emphasize the development of students capacity for reasoningand logical thinking but students would
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The speaker asserts that educational systems should place less emphasis on reason and
logical thinking and more emphasis on the exploration of emotions. While I concede that in
certain fields students are well served by nurturing their emotions and feelings, in most
academic disciplines it is by cultivating intellect rather than emotions that students master their
discipline and, in turn, gain a capacity to contribute to the well-being of society.
I agree with the speaker insofar as undue emphasis on reason and logical thinking can have
a chilling effect on the arts. After all, artistic ideas and inspiration spring not from logic but from
emotions and feelings such as joy, sadness, hope, and love. And, the true measure of artistic
accomplishment lies not in technical proficiency but rather in a work's impact on the emotions
and spirit. Nevertheless, even in the arts, students must learn theories and techniques, which
they then apply to their craft. And, creative writing requires the cognitive ability to understand
how language is used and how to communicate ideas. Besides, creative ability is itself partly a
function of intellect; that is, creative expression is a marriage of one's cognitive abilities and the
expression of one's feelings and emotions.
Aside from its utility in the arts, however, the exploration of emotions has little place in
educational systems. The physical sciences and mathematics are purely products of reason
and logic...