Reason And Higher Love

Reason and Higher Love A Tract Book Essay By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar Some philosophers have equated Reason with Rationality. In fact, the two are not the same. This point is made by Developmental Psychologist, Erik Erikson. Erickson argues that Reason is composed of both an affective element, that is, Love, and a rational element, that is, Logic. Erikson is mistaken in saying, however, that the type of Love involved is parental love. Instead, I would argue that the Love involved with Reason is in fact intellectual Love, or the Love of Logic. The Love of Logic is a Higher Love. It is intellectual love. It is a Love which is ordered toward higher things. There are human beings, typically philosophers or lawyers, who love logic. They love the beauty of a logical syllogism and the beauty of logic itself. Reason, then, is 90% logic and 10% love (of logic). Because there is an affective element to Reason it is not as coldly objective as rationality itself. A Reasonable person can compromise and a Reasonable person can feel compassion. A Rational person typically does not compromise and does not feel compassion. This is why Reason is superior to Rationality.