an online book by David Gurteen
Understanding is a cognitive process related to an abstract or physical object, such as a person, situation, or message whereby one is able to use concepts to model that object. Understanding is a relation between the knower and an object of understanding. Understanding implies abilities and dispositions with respect to an object of knowledge that are sufficient to support intelligent behavior.
Understanding is often, though not always, related to learning concepts, and sometimes also the theory or theories associated with those concepts. However, a person may have a good ability to predict the behavior of an object, animal or system—and therefore may, in some sense, understand it—without necessarily being familiar with the concepts or theories associated with that object, animal, or system in their culture. They may have developed their own distinct concepts and theories, which may be equivalent, better or worse than the recognized standard concepts and theories of their culture. Thus, understanding is correlated with the ability to make inferences.
Credit: Wikipedia - understandingFor all our knowledge, we have no idea what we’re talking about. We don’t understand what’s going on in our business, our market, and our world. Knowledge Management shouldn’t be about helping us to know more. It should be about helping us to understand. So, how do we understand things? It’s through stories that we … Continue reading For All Our Knowledge, We Have No Idea What We’re Talking About David Weinberger
I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but, I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not really what I meant. Credit: Robert J. McCloskey Source: Attributed to US State Department spokesman, Robert J. McCloskey, at the height of the Vietnam War.Posts where this quotation is embedded A … Continue reading Believing What You Think I Said Robert J. McCloskey
I believe the greatest gift I can conceive of having from anyone is to be seen by them, heard by them, to be understood and touched by them. The greatest gift I can give is to see, hear, understand and to touch another person. When this is done I feel contact has been made. Credit: … Continue reading Being Seen, Heard, Understood and Touched Virginia Satir
The problem is not people being uneducated. The problem is that people are educated just enough to believe what they have been taught, and not educated enough to question anything from what they have been taught. Credit: Richard Feynman Posts where this quotation is embedded A Brief History of Knowledge 200,000 years of human history A Knowledge … Continue reading The Problem Is Not People Being Uneducated Richard Feynman
Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply. Credit: Stephen Covey Posts where this quotation is embedded A Brief History of Knowledge 200,000 years of human history A Knowledge Café Is a Gathering It is not a meeting Actor-network Theory (ANT) Actor-Network Theory Analyze Assumptions and Biases Probe the assumptions … Continue reading Listen with the Intent to Understand Not to Reply Stephen R. Covey
If I were to summarize in one sentence the single most important principle I have learned in the field of interpersonal relations, it would be this: Seek first to understand, then to be understood. Credit: Stephen R. Covey Posts where this quotation is embedded A Brief History of Knowledge 200,000 years of human history A Knowledge Café … Continue reading Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood Stephen R. Covey
Gurteen Knowledge Blog March 30, 2022, 16:46The film drama The Journey is a fictional account of the true story of how Northern Ireland’s political enemies, Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness, formed an unlikely political alliance. You can watch a clip from the start of the film and a clip from the end of the film, and if you have access to Amazon … Continue reading The Journey The remarkable friendship between Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness
Gurteen Knowledge Blog July 15, 2022, 11:33Calling someone ignorant isn’t necessarily an insult. Ignorance is simply a lack of understanding. If we are ignorant of a subject, we have little, if any, knowledge about it. We are ignorant about all sorts of things, but that does not make us stupid; we are just ignorant. Maybe calling … Continue reading Calling Someone Ignorant Isn’t Necessarily an Insult Ignorance is simply a lack of understanding
Whether you want to change the political or economic system, save the whales, stop global warming, reform education, spark innovation or anything else, the answer is in how meaning, and understanding of what needs to be done, emerges from conversation in community with people you love, people who care. Credit: Dave Pollard Posts where this … Continue reading What Needs to Be Done, Emerges From Conversation Dave Pollard
Explore Other Perspectives Analyze Assumptions and Biases Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter Explore What’s Missing: Explore what’s missing in a chatbot’s responses. This method encourages us to identify and consider overlooked aspects, resulting in a more comprehensive understanding of the topic. Here’s an example of how to practice using the “Explore What’s Missing” … Continue reading Explore What’s Missing Explore what’s missing in a chatbot’s responses
The Perils of Binary Bias ** Introduction: Practicing Conversational Leadership Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter We often see those with different beliefs as adversaries, which limits our ability to recognize the potential for friendship and understanding. Conversational Leadership encourages open dialogue across diverse perspectives, helping us build empathy and shared insights to navigate … Continue reading We Are Not Enemies but Friends—mostly Finding understanding by conversing with those who think differently
