Emotions, Rationality, and Gender

Emotions, like feelings, moods, and temperaments, are a type of affect. Emotions are relatively short affective states that represent various aspects of the world. Rationality is an attribute of a person. A rational person displays excellence in some distinctive way. Individual states and events like beliefs and actions are rational insofar as having them strengthens the person’s rationality. Emotions and rationality are often treated as contradictory with rationality as superior to emotions. Emotions are often associated with women and rationality with men. Emotions, however, are essential to overall rationality for all people. And, a person is emotionally rational when the person excels in the exercising of their emotional capacities. Moreover, both emotions and rationality are important for all people, regardless of gender identity.