Reason as a Way of Knowing Essay Example

almost always based on the composers’ emotions in order to convey a message or a feeling to the listening audience.It can even be telling a story in the form of music, invoking it into the listener. In music class, we are currently composing music based on shocking images, for example: child abuse, child soldiers, and starvation. Emotion is required firstly to identity the emotion portrayed by the picture, and secondly, interpreting the meaning of the picture into music. Other than that, in the case of describing a piece of music, we require emotion and perception once again.

It is highly unlikely that we are able to interpret a piece of music if we use ‘pure/cold logic’.How would I be able to say that this piece of music sounds ‘victorious’ or ‘joyful’ if I did not use emotion? Though, there is a contradictory idea that it is possible to compose music based on reason. For example, if I wanted to compose a piano concerto; which consists of an orchestra backing up a solo piano; it would only be logical to use the piano as the solo instrument, and no other instrument would be able to replace the piano, since it is a piano concerto. Another example is the composition of twelve tone compositions.

These compositions are purely based on four specific scale structures, and cannot be changed. It is only within reason that if I wished to compose a twelve tone composition that I would require the use of these four specific scales. Therefore, despite music being based more on emotions than reason, reason is used in certain cases in the art form of music. Secondly, in

the case of superstitions, reasoning can used to understand certain beliefs as well as eliminate superstitions which are not plausible.Though, reasoning may also pose as a problem in certain cases when believing in superstition.

In the case of eliminating superstitions which are not plausible as it cannot be proved scientifically, an example is the cleaning of the house before the Lunar New Year. In Chinese culture, the house must be thoroughly cleaned and all of the rubbish must be removed before the Lunar New Year in order to bring luck and prosperity into the house. Though this is a belief of the Chinese, it cannot be seen as plausible in the eye of science as it cannot be proven by any sort of scientific method.Additionally, reason can also be used as an advantage to explain certain superstitions. For example, in Chinese culture, it is said that leaving the toilet seat cover open brings bad luck, and that it should be left closed when it is not in used. A plausible reason is that an open toilet seat cover can probably lead to an unwanted unpleasant stench wafting throughout the entire house.

Therefore, it is better to leave the toilet seat cover closed when it is not in use for hygiene purposes. Alternatively, reason may not always invoke truth or beliefs of some individuals.To put it in simpler terms, I belong to the Chinese culture, and it is considered bad luck to stick your chopsticks upright in your food. This is because it symbolizes an offering to the dead. Despite there being no scientific evidence to back up this belief, I avoid doing so as I

was brought up with that knowledge and that it has been invoked in me ever since a young age. Though it may not be a logical and scientific reason, it is still a type of reason that is true based on my culture and belief.

Therefore, reason can be purely objective or it can vary across cultures and beliefs.Thirdly, reason and logic is mostly used in science. Despite reason and logic being the basic and main structure of science, it can be argued that there is a possibility in which reason can prevent us from obtaining valid results. Reason and logic are used in making hypothesis, conducting experiments and observations in order to obtain a logical and valid conclusion. Therefore, perception is closely linked as we use our senses to see, hear and touch in order to obtain results.

In Biology class, we were giving the task of sampling macro-invertebrates in different rivers with varied levels of pollution.Through ‘common sense’ reason, our hypothesis was that there would be a wider diversity of species of macro-invertebrates in rivers with lower levels of pollution, despite already expecting the our theory to be true. Through the data collected, we managed to obtain a result which matched our hypothesis, proving that our initial claim was right. However, what if there was a case in which our results did not match the theory? Another group obtained results which stated that they managed to sample a wider diversity of species in the more polluted river, contradicting the theory.

This may be the case of uncertainties or even outliers in the data. Therefore, how far can we really trust reason and logic to

give us valid results when our observations contradict theories? Furthermore, another example is when we see or observe something we do not expect. To put these words into context, take for example, observing a cell through a microscope. We see what we expect to see through the lenses, but when we see something that is different, our thoughts automatically process that it is wrong, or that there is an error.Therefore, reason can cloud our knowledge if we refuse to see or accept things that contradict the initial theory. To conclude the essay, here is a question: “Can reason on its own, without the requirement of emotion and perception, ever give us knowledge or justification? ” I think that the answer is no, as reason is constructed first as ideas and opinions before finding meanings which are plausible.

The action of finding meanings itself can be based on emotions, as we are driven to find out whether something is true or not. Moreover, perception is used when making observations and can therefore modify ideas to make them plausible.Therefore, reason cannot exactly exist on its own without the other ways of knowing, and vice versa. Reason has both weaknesses and strengths in obtaining knowledge. Reason can prove to be more useful in certain subject areas while on the other hand, it is not necessarily required in other subject areas. Despite there being many uncertainties and perhaps even doubt in science, it does give us a better insight on obtaining some sort of valid and logical conclusion.

Therefore, it certainly acts as a beacon in learning and understanding our surroundings better.