Marianne asked:

I have to do my first essay for my philosophy class (Baccalaureat level) on the question, "Do our
passions lead us astray?" but find that I don't know how to approach the question. I would be grateful
for any help you could give me to orientate my answer.

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The statement, 'Our passions lead us astray' implies that when we make a decision, there is
something which reason tells us is the right thing to do, either because it is what we morally ought to
do, or because it is in our best self-interest to do it. However, in some cases our decision is swayed
because of the influence of our emotions, our 'passions'. The result is that we make the wrong
decision.

The best way to approach this question is to think of some good examples. Think of cases where one
might talk of being led astray morally by our emotions, and also of cases where we fail to do what's
best for us because of the influence of our emotions.

However, it is not always true that reason is the thing that tells us what is right, and passion is the
thing that leads us astray. It is our passions, in the form of our capacity for sympathy for the suffering
of others, which in many cases shows us what is the right thing to do. Sometimes, too, when we do
something wrong, it is not because we are led astray by our passions but because our reasoning is at
fault.

Geoffrey Klempner