Emotions as Catalysts for Ethical Action
Emotions can act as a genuine driving force, propelling a person to certain actions and shaping their behavior. For example, an emotion can provoke a specific act: in certain situations, the feeling of pity or mercy can prompt a person to take active steps to help someone else. As stated in one of the sources, "The incitement of a person to perform a specific act also occurs under the influence of emotion. Depending on the situation, emotions can instill a particular behavior, in which they find their expression or a certain degree of manifestation. For example, the feeling of pity that arose in the heart of the merciful Samaritan prompted him to actively engage in the fate of a person in distress. Finally, an important function of emotions in moral life is that, through them, a person is capable of perceiving and distinguishing between the phenomena of good and evil, capturing the inner state of another person, and intuitively assessing the events taking place, as well as the actions and deeds of individuals." (source: link txt)Thus, emotions not only accompany our everyday lives but also play a key role in shaping behavior, enabling us to intuitively choose how to react in each specific situation. This occurs both at the level of simple reactions and in a more complex moral and social context, where emotions help us distinguish what is right from what is wrong and guide us in making certain decisions.