The Science of Understanding

For an essay on Descartes, I chose to distinguish and evaluate between the act of knowing and the act of understanding. I conclude by championing understanding over knowing, that which I believe holds greatest significance for ourselves - a measure of the significance lies in the applicability of the knowledge/understanding acquired. Therefore, THE SCIENCE OF UNDERSTANDING was proposed.

Something not delved into much in the essay but of great appeal to me is the notion from Descartes that everything knowable can be discovered within ourselves. That is to say that the knowledge already exists and can be acquired through introspection. Perhaps this premise necessarily follows his adherence to Logic, but it is the underlying paradox that interests me most - that the reality we see around us can be known from within, and if consequentially true will meld our inner and external realities into one, tethering us and the world more strongly to each other. True or not, it is certainly poetic.

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