Final answer:
Antonio Damasio argued that emotions are integral to rational thought, suggesting that we are 'thinking machines that feel', challenging traditional views that favor pure logic over emotional influence in rationality.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question refers to the neuroscientist Antonio Damasio's statement, “We’re not feeling machines that think; we’re thinking machines that feel.” This statement encapsulates Damasio's view that emotions play a crucial role in rational thought and cannot be separated from reasoning processes.
Damasio asserted, as outlined in his book Descartes' Error, that our most rational thoughts are influenced, informed, and guided by our emotions, thus challenging the traditional philosophical view that rational thinking should be devoid of emotional influence.
Furthermore, he argued that reasoning and intelligence function best when we have an emotional investment in the subject, suggesting that without emotions, our rational capabilities diminish rather than improve.
Studies in neuroscience, such as those conducted by Damasio and others, support this interconnection between emotions and cognition, revealing the importance of emotions in the decision-making process and the fallacy of assuming rational thought is solely a product of cold logic.