I have for some time been interested in trying to understand what ‘understand’ means. I have reached the conclusion that ‘curiosity then caring’ is the first steps toward understanding. Without curiosity we care for nothing. Once curiosity is in place then caring becomes necessary for understanding.
Often I discover that the person involved in organizing some action is a person who has had a personal experience leading her to this action. Some person who has a family member afflicted by a disease becomes very active in helping support research in that disease, for example.
I suspect our first experience with ‘understanding’ may be our first friendship. I think that this first friendship may be an example of what Carl Sagan meant by “Understanding is a kind of ecstasyâ€.
I also suspect that the boy who falls in love with automobiles and learns everything he can about repairing the junk car he bought has discovered ‘understanding’.
I suspect many people go their complete life and never have an intellectual experience that culminates in the “ecstasy of understandingâ€. How can this be true? I think that our educational system is designed primarily for filling heads with knowledge and hasn’t time to waste on ‘understanding’.
Understanding an intellectual matter must come in the adult years if it is to ever come to many of us. I think that it is very important for an adult to find something intellectual that will excite his or her curiosity and concern sufficiently so as to motivate the effort necessary to understand.
Understanding does not come easily but it can be “a kind of ecstasyâ€.
I do not think understanding can be taught. Understanding is an act of creation and each of us must learn how to do it if we are every to recognize the “ecstasy of understanding”.
Metaphors seem to be the only way to talk about such things. We commonly use ‘knowing is seeing’ and ‘understanding is grasping’ I think the difference here is obvious. Seeing is easy and grasping is difficult and much more intimate. If one has had the experience of understanding I think they will recognize that it is much different than knowing.
Knowing is painting-by-number and understanding is an original piece of art. A eureka moment is an understanding moment. I have never had an epiphany but I guess it may be an act of understanding.
To understand requires work and time and curiosity and caring.
It seems to me that philosophy has handled the words ‘knowing’ and ‘understanding’ with a great deal of ambiguity.
All this goes double for the meaning of ‘wisdom’.
“I also suspect that the boy who falls in love with automobiles and learns everything he can about repairing the junk car he bought has discovered ‘understanding’.”
I agree with you here, that in order to truly understand something, in order to learn, one must be motiviated. However, does your ‘understanding’ imply action? If the boy merely reads (academically) about cars, does he possess the same understanding as one who takes action and repairs cars?
Understanding requires only intellectual action. I do not think any physical action is required but I suspect such action often accompanies understanding.
what would you then say for the blind or deaf, because the lack the ability to properly exact information or meaning from a book, is he or she unable of forming intellect and understand in this way?
I think understanding, intellect are inherent, and we recognize it in various ways.
In matters regarding knowing and understanding we are faced with the ubiquity of ambiguity. I think that understanding is generally associated with disinterested knowledge. How many people have every had experience with disinterested knowledge?
Understanding is a step beyond knowing and is seldom required or measured by schooling.
Understanding is generally of disinterested knowledge, i.e. disinterested knowledge is an intrinsic value. Disinterested knowledge is not a means but an end. It is knowledge I seek because I desire to know it. I mean the term ‘disinterested knowledge’ as similar to ‘pure research’, as compared to ‘applied research’. Pure research seeks to know truth unconnected to any specific application.
Understanding is often difficult and time consuming and the justification is not extrinsic but intrinsic.
We are motivated into action by the force of reason or emotion also pain I guess. But reason and emotion are both required for action I think. Just as reason informs us that the hurrican victims need help we will probably do little without the emotion of caring.