Understanding Why The Sky Is Blue Analysis

Knowledge and understanding are two terms that may seem similar in meaning. However upon further examination, one may find that there is a distinction to be made. Knowledge can be thought of as pure information, it is usually simple and easy to obtain. Everyone possesses some degree of knowledge about a variety of things. On the other hand, understanding is something more complicated and nuanced. It highlights a deeper intuitive process that occurs within subconscious levels of the mind. Someone may say “I know the sky is blue.”; they don’t say “I understand the sky is blue.”. What is there to understand here? The sky is either blue or it is not. Notice that if the statement is phrased “I understand why the sky is blue.”, things appear to make more sense. Understanding often addresses the why and how of things. When phrased this way, the listener may realize that the speaker is suggesting they have a grasp of science. They may understand the deeper causality behind why the sky is blue. There is a certain degree of effort needed to acquire such an insight. As Albert Einstein once said “Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”. To know a process isn’t very useful, but to understand a process is valuable.
This isn’t to suggest that …show more content…
It would not have been possible without understanding calculus. Isaac Newton would not have created calculus if it weren’t for Rene Descartes’ understanding of algebra and geometry. This understanding was only possible because of arab world, which salvaged and passed on what mathematical knowledge the ancient greeks once possessed. Everyone drew from the knowledge of others, and from it they cultivated their own understanding. The responsibility is upon the individual to create their own insights. Through learning from others, humans can develop an understanding of things, and through this they may be of contribution to the whole of