« Understanding the Understanding Itself »

Do you understand understanding?  Do you understand how understanding works?  Do you get how you get whatever it is that you mentally/cognitively get?

I think I do.

Understanding is pattern-recognition.  Say, you are trying to tell me something you came up with.  It's complex, it's nuanced, it's mind-boggling.  I listen and listen and listen and then - BAM! - I get it.  But what is this insight?  What happened in my head when I thought I understood what you were saying?  What happens in my head is that all of a sudden I recognize a pattern in your thought process.  But what is a pattern?  A pattern is a form.  And what is a form?  A form is a configuration - a matrix - of datapoints - a web of interrelations.

So, when you and I understand each other it's because we recognize a certain pattern in each others' thought process.  But here's the kicker (the very reason I sat down to write this up): recognition is a memory event.  To recognize a pattern is to remember a pattern.

So, take a deep breath and get this: understanding isn't learning, understanding is memory; understanding isn't a learning of something new but a memory of something that you already know.

Understanding is a case of deja vu: to understand is to identify a pattern of familiriaty ("Ah, I get this: I've seen this thought before; I've thought this thought before; I recognize this web of connections").

You get me now?