Perception and/or Understanding

2009-3-14 07:21:00

Dan writes:

"Help me see the difference between perceiving and understanding, it would seem to me they are almost equivalent and the distinction hard to perceive, but very, very important."

JJ:

First it is important to understand that there are three levels of perception.

The first we could call animal perception, which I did not even classify as such in the article I posted. Instead, I called it animal reception.

We could also call this computer perception. This is comparable to entering a piece of data in a computer program and then the program responds in a predetermined way.

Similarly, you offer a dog food, you know how he will respond.

The next two levels are perception as I used it in the article.

On level two the entity perceives, but consciously registers the thing perceived. The response then is not predetermined as if by a computer program, but is determined by consciousness. Because consciousness is not 100% predictable you never know exactly how the perceiver will respond.

On level three the entity perceives, consciously, registers the thing perceived and goes one more step. That additional step includes some understanding of the thing perceived as it fits into a bigger picture.

Example:  There is a loud crash caused by a car accident.

The dog takes it in through his physical perception and is frightened and backs off.

The person on level two takes it in and consciously thinks about the damage and what he can do to help.

The person on level three responds as does the level two but analyses to increase understanding. He asks himself questions such as:

"What caused the accident?"

"How fast was the guy going?"

"What was the guy thinking just before it happened?"

Understanding comes when the person perceives, asks all the pertinent questions about the thing perceived and then comes up with the most logical answers.

Understanding also has three levels and this is the first.

What do you suppose are the other two?

"About the only thing that comes to us without effort is old age."
  -- Gloria Pitzer, in Reader's Digest, 1979