Unbalanced scales of justice due to the influence of emotions.

Gut Feelings in Governance: How Sentiment Shapes Our World

Rhea Morgan in Politics & Policy August 2025 • 4 min read.

"Uncover the hidden power of emotions and intuition in law, politics, and social justice."

In today's world, we often think of decisions being made based on hard facts and cold logic. But what if our feelings – those 'gut feelings' and deeply held sentiments – play a much bigger role than we realize, especially in areas like law and politics? New research is exploding the myth of pure objectivity, revealing how emotions shape everything from policy to prejudice.

This article delves into how sentiment, emotion, and intuition impact governance, the legal system, and our understanding of social justice. It draws from the work of Ann Laura Stoler, a social researcher who explores the surprising ways feelings influence power dynamics and decision-making.

We'll explore how these hidden emotional currents affect our perceptions, create inequalities, and ultimately shape the world around us. Get ready to question the idea that reason always rules.

The Hidden Language of Power: How Emotions Shape Society

Unbalanced scales of justice due to the influence of emotions.

Emotions aren't just personal experiences; they're deeply embedded in the systems that govern us. Our feelings about others influence how we perceive them, the value we assign to their contributions, and even how the law is applied. This understanding challenges the traditional view of justice as a purely rational endeavor.

Think about it: Laws are created and enforced by people, and people have emotions. Whether it's a judge's sense of fairness, a politician's appeal to voters' fears, or a community's outrage over an injustice, emotions are always in the mix, shaping the landscape of power.

Colonial Governance: Past empires used emotions like disgust and disdain to justify their rule and control over colonized populations.
The Law and Remorse: The legal system struggles to evaluate remorse, yet a defendant's perceived lack of remorse can lead to harsher penalties.
Racial Intuition: Deeply ingrained racial biases often masquerade as 'gut feelings,' influencing everything from everyday interactions to law enforcement decisions.

These examples highlight how emotions act as a hidden language, subtly dictating who is valued, who is marginalized, and who is deemed worthy of trust or punishment.

Decoding Our 'Gut Feelings': Towards a More Just World

Recognizing the role of emotions in governance and the legal system isn't about dismissing feelings altogether. Instead, it's about becoming more aware of how they influence our perceptions and decisions. By acknowledging these emotional undercurrents, we can begin to challenge our biases and create fairer systems.

It requires a willingness to examine our 'gut feelings' critically, question the source of our sentiments, and consider how they might be perpetuating inequalities. It also means pushing for greater transparency and accountability in the systems that govern us, ensuring that decisions are based on evidence and ethical considerations, not just fleeting emotions.

Ultimately, understanding the politics of 'gut feelings' empowers us to build a more just and equitable world, one where reason and empathy work together to create a better future for all.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1086/699009, Alternate LINK

Title: The Politics Of “Gut Feelings”: On Sentiment In Governance And The Law

Subject: Pharmacology (medical)

Journal: KNOW: A Journal on the Formation of Knowledge

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Authors: Ann Laura Stoler

Published: 2018-09-01

Everything You Need To Know

What are 'gut feelings' and 'sentiments' and how do they relate to governance?

In the context of governance, 'gut feelings' and deeply held 'sentiments' refer to the often-unacknowledged emotional undercurrents that shape our world. These feelings are not based on hard facts and cold logic but are driven by intuition and emotion. They influence how we perceive others, the value we assign to their contributions, and how laws are applied. For example, in 'colonial governance', empires used emotions like disgust and disdain to justify their rule. Understanding these concepts is important because it challenges the traditional view of justice as a purely rational endeavor. It reveals how emotions impact governance, the legal system, and our understanding of social justice, often creating inequalities.

Why is Ann Laura Stoler's work important in understanding emotions in governance?

Ann Laura Stoler's work is significant because it explores the surprising ways feelings influence power dynamics and decision-making. Her research helps us understand how 'gut feelings' and 'sentiments' shape governance and create inequalities. For instance, in 'the law and remorse', the legal system struggles to evaluate remorse, yet a defendant's perceived lack of remorse can lead to harsher penalties. Her insights challenge the idea that reason always rules and highlights the hidden emotional currents affecting perceptions within the legal and political landscapes.

How do emotions influence governance?

Emotions influence governance by acting as a hidden language. They subtly dictate who is valued, who is marginalized, and who is deemed worthy of trust or punishment. In 'racial intuition,' deeply ingrained racial biases often masquerade as 'gut feelings,' influencing law enforcement decisions. In 'colonial governance,' past empires used emotions like disgust and disdain to justify their rule. This means that the systems that govern us are not purely objective. Decisions are made through a lens of emotions, which shapes everything from policy to prejudice. This can lead to inequalities.

In what ways does the legal system reflect the influence of emotions?

The legal system is influenced by emotions in several ways. Laws are created and enforced by people, and people have emotions. For example, a judge's sense of fairness, a politician's appeal to voters' fears, or a community's outrage over an injustice. Consider 'the law and remorse': a defendant's perceived lack of remorse can lead to harsher penalties, highlighting how emotional responses impact legal outcomes. This challenges the traditional view of justice as a purely rational endeavor, as the application of law is influenced by the emotional state of those involved.

How can we use the understanding of emotions to promote a more just world?

To create a more just world, it is important to become more aware of how emotions influence perceptions and decisions. Recognizing the role of emotions in governance and the legal system isn't about dismissing feelings altogether. By acknowledging these emotional undercurrents, we can begin to challenge our biases and create fairer systems. For example, by being aware of 'racial intuition,' we can question deeply ingrained biases that influence law enforcement. This awareness can help challenge emotional biases and lead to fairer outcomes.