Doug NollI'm called in when human dynamics are getting in the way of strategic leadership execution.

We Are Emotional Being #lifeskills

30 Dec 2025 · 1 min

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In this monologue, the speaker—an experienced graduate‑level instructor—argues that the long‑standing belief that humans are distinguished from other animals by rationality is a false narrative perpetuated for 4,000 years by philosophers and theologians. While acknowledging that humans possess the capacity for reasoning, critical thinking, and quantitative analysis, he maintains that emotions are the fundamental driver of every decision. He contends that until we recognize our emotional nature and learn to master our emotions, societies will remain mired in chaos. The talk serves as a call to re‑frame personal development and social policy around emotional mastery rather than the illusion of pure rationality.

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But I mean, I mean, some of the things I talk about are really, uh, kind of mind-twisting. For example, I teach, I teach at the graduate level, and my graduate students, and I tell in all my classes, I say we've been lied to for 4,000 years. We've been told by philosophers and theologians that what separates us from other species of animals is rationality and reason. That's a lie. We are emotional beings. There is no such thing as rationality. We are not rational beings, we are emotional beings. We have the capacity to reason and do critical thinking and quantitative and qualitative analysis, but that's not the root cause of what we are. We are emotional beings and every decision we make is an emotional decision. And until we learn how to master our emotions and get rid of this idea of rationality, we will continue to have chaos in our societies. I agree with you.