• Author: Unknown
• Editor: B-7413
• Newspaper: The Umpire volume 6
• Page Number:
• Date: 5 9 1917
• Tags:
• advice

USELESS ARGUMENT

Nine times out of ten, to argue with any man on a subject that engages his emotions is to waste breath, says a writer in the N.Y. Post, as his mind is not open to logical persuasion. His emotions first determine his opinion and then prompt his logical faculties to devise plausible defenses for it. In an interesting little book on the "Psychology of Insanity,” Dr. Bernard Hart observes:

“That a man generally knows why he thinks a certain way, and why he does certain things is a widespread and cherished belief of the human race. It is, unfortunately, for the most part, an erroneous one.

“There is a thing that psychologists call a ‘complex.’ It consists of an idea charged with emotion, and it operates as a sort of colored screen in front of the mind. A man whose emotions are deeply engaged on one side or the other of this war, for example, may think he is reasoning about it. But, in fact, he is incapable oi reasoning, because whatever impressions his mind receives in that connection comes through his complex and take its color. His logical faculties operate only by way of inventing plausible de- fenses for the judgments his emotions have already formed. It is impossible to change his position in any respect by reasoning, because reason can not touch his mind until his emotions have dealt with it and made it conform to their color.

“Complexes play an important part in the psychology of insanity, and every expert knows the entire futility of trying to argue an insane person out of any posxtlon his complex has determined.

“Whenever you find a person with a strong war bias that does not coincide with your own bias, talk to him about baseball or the crops."