I believe it was Hume who made the point that reason cannot motivate us, only our feelings can. Supposing that's true, I have a far-flung conclusion that seems to follow from that: when the panelists on this site choose which questions to answer, they're motivated by some emotion, not by reason. But doesn't this corrupt the purity of the logic of the answer? Perhaps not necessarily so, but isn't it likely that of the 2,600+ questions a good number have been tainted? How is it not the case?

Are women more "emotional" than men and if so is this a bad thing?

Could a robot, imbued with artificial intelligence, feel emotion? And could it feel the desire to improve its lot in life - e.g. if it was a servant robot, could it feel the desire to overthrow its master, escape the humiliation of being a servant, and possess things for itself?

How can I know that I have (or have not) experienced the feeling or state or experience of 'hatred'?

Are there any philosophers that address emotional apathy? Are there any that warn against it? I know Plato, Kant, and presumably Aquinas would argue against apathetic sentiment for political and religious reasons, but I was wondering if there are any that stress the importance of emotional zest or passion?

Who can direct me to the philosopher whose work addresses the relationship between knowledge and emotion?

Would humans effectively eliminate most emotions given sufficient rationality? In other words, if humans became highly rational creatures then would we become less emotional?

The phrase "You must forgive" is often bandied about - especially in religious teachings. Surely this is not fair - the wrong-doer has an entitlement from the wronged? What if the wronged is unable to forgive? Is forgiveness an emotion?

How can we discern the difference of how we authentically "feel" as opposed to how we "think" we feel?

How can one acquire knowledge through emotions only?