What is the difference between thought and feeling?

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Obviously the Cartisian dichotomy paradigm is false. But if there is a difference between 'thought' and 'feeling' then in which ways can we draw it: scientifically, philosophically, conceptually?

Is such a distinction useful?

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Type: Question • Score: 9 • Views: 8,724 • Replies: 50

[+3] - JLNobody - 01/07/2013"Is such a distinction useful?" is almost always a useful question: Does this difference make a difference? Also it seems to me that thought spans a range between cool...
[+3] - Zarathustra - 01/08/2013Maybe I missed the point of the question but thought and feeling are different and differentiated, for example physiologically: thought is brain-based; feelings are limbic-based, although they are...

The distinction is probably not useful because we delude ourselves about thinking and feeling, as well as arrogating to our minds a control which the scientific evidence of human behavior suggests does not exist.

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@Setanta,

You took the words right out of my mouth!

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feelings is being touched
thoughts is touching

usually women condition is meant to enjoy being touched and male condition is meant to enjoy touching

but of course it is a superficial distinction that could reach to look realized in lies bc in truth there is no male and females while only truth exist

like the false distinction is also about to say that feeling is for what expect positive thing so who wants to b a living thing
and thoughts are to superior wills so who expect to achieve smthg by himself

what prove that distinction being false always so only a lie by reversin the true knowledge source of to exploit its whole existence

is what the thought is actually the relative touched, noone can ever invent a thought

and what the feeling is the true touch sources, as a feelin is always a will so always the mean of smthg to realize by itself freedom inventin an individual sense for before

that is why liars dont feel while right ones always think their involvements drives with whatever else is present

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Is the "the Cartisian dichotomy paradigm" anything to do with the Cartesian dichotomy or paradigm?

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@The Pentacle Queen,

"Is such a distinction useful?" is almost always a useful question: Does this difference make a difference?

Also it seems to me that thought spans a range between cool (logico-mathematical) abstraction and emotionally warm (poetic) conceptions.

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@Setanta,

Setanta wrote:

The distinction is probably not useful because we delude ourselves about thinking and feeling, as well as arrogating to our minds a control which the scientific evidence of human behavior suggests does not exist.

Couldja dumb that down fer us simple folk? ...

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb190/tint45/hmmmmmmm.gif

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@thack45,

To arrogage means (using the definition right at the top of the search page) "Take or claim (something) for oneself without justification." Does that help ya?

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@The Pentacle Queen,

If I thought, 'I wonder what she's thinking?' and I then thought, 'I wonder what she's feeling? I don't think they are inquiring about the same thing. I would say that 'feeling' is more connected with emotion.

'How am I feeling?', is to ask how am I feeling emotionally. To ask, 'what do I think about something?', is to ask about something with less emphasis on emotion and perhaps more on the rational.

These examples are viewed from a particular context. Given another context the differences may be more blurred.

I'm curious why you asked (in order to put your question in context)?

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@Setanta,

Thanks Set. I freely admit I had to look that one up. Actually I was wondering what you meant by "control". Did you mean a belief system in general or ...? Just asking because I found it to be a compelling statement. Smile

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@thack45,

By control i meant the delusion under which we all operate at one time or another that we freely choose how we behave.

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Gotcha. Thanks!

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@JLNobody,

JLNobody wrote:

"Is such a distinction useful?" is almost always a useful question: Does this difference make a difference?

Also it seems to me that thought spans a range between cool (logico-mathematical) abstraction and emotionally warm (poetic) conceptions.

Thank you, do you mind expanding on the last bit please JL?

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@igm,

Quote:

If I thought, 'I wonder what she's thinking?' and I then thought, 'I wonder what she's feeling? I don't think they are inquiring about the same thing. I would say that 'feeling' is more connected with emotion.

'How am I feeling?', is to ask how am I feeling emotionally. To ask, 'what do I think about something?', is to ask about something with less emphasis on emotion and perhaps more on the rational.

These examples are viewed from a particular context. Given another context the differences may be more blurred.

I'm curious why you asked (in order to put your question in context)?

Yes, I definitely agree with the associations that you give above. My question was really based on a number of instances where they are used interchangeably: "I really feel that the answer to the bathroom situation is to have the cupboard... "etc. and there was another example the other way round which I have now forgotten.
But basically I just thought it was interesting to explore: when we think we also feel, even if we don't notice ourselves feeling or feel very much. Even something prosaic like "Oh look there are chips on offer for half price" can contain a large range of emotional tones. So can they be considered 'fully' distinct and if not then are there more ways of breaking down the distinction? I mean, do we ever feel without context? If not, then how can we distinguish thoughts and feelings?

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@The Pentacle Queen,

Quote:

I mean, do we ever feel without context?

Sure, Pent, haven't you ever suddenly and for no apparent reason just felt good

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@The Pentacle Queen,

Maybe I missed the point of the question but thought and feeling are different and differentiated, for example physiologically: thought is brain-based; feelings are limbic-based, although they are interrelated. Logical and/or symbolic thoughts are not processed or stored in the same way (or in the same areas) in the brain as feeling are. Memory of feelings always involves the hippocampus while logical, cognitive memories never employ the hippocampus, as one of a number of examples of differences. With technology such as SQUID devices it is possible to watch this processing in the brain in real time.

They are differentiated psychologically (note the three different learning domains) and so are useful within this psychological context in learning situations. Performance based education has as its foundation learning objectives, these differ in wording of the objective and more importantly differ in the targeted student behavior depending upon which domain is chosen.

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@Zarathustra,

Just to clarify, in the post above I meant "brain-based" as the "higher-level” structures of the brain vs. the midline and deep structures that are part of the limbic system.

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@Zarathustra,

it is clearly a subjective standard that u mean to force as a fact which isnt

the ability to play with thoughts and absolute abstractions such as words, dont worth a penny if it is not about smthg existing really
u might glorify urself in the mean of creatin physical facts through such lousy focus of will force, still in the objective sense it doesnt worth a penny

and that is how what u r willin to justify as a quality of high level, is simply ur lowest level proof in pointin smthg that u invent from that image u want to use, u never did any of ur brain how r u gonna talk about it to mean its high level to wat
and that is surely why u gonna b more and more manipulated by bugs show ur level in usin ur brain how high it is

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@The Pentacle Queen,

The Pentacle Queen wrote:

But basically I just thought it was interesting to explore: when we think we also feel, even if we don't notice ourselves feeling or feel very much.

Yes, I agree feelings color our thoughts but may or may not finally affect our actions. Then in turn those thoughts colored by those feelings, cause thoughts to arise based on that combination and so on. This may account for the same situation giving rise to optimism in one person and pessimism in another or even in regard to the same person but at different times. I'd say all was interconnected and all future thoughts and feelings depend on past thoughts and feelings.

The question is, can we benefit from understanding this and actively encourage positive feelings to be connected to thoughts which could be colored either way?

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What is the difference between thought and feeling?

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