The Phenomenon of Understanding

Epistemology of the Human Sciences, 2023

Many philosophers take understanding to be a distinctive kind of knowledge that involves grasping dependency relations; moreover, they hold it to be particularly valuable. This paper aims to investigate and address two well-­‐‑ known puzzles that arise from this conception: (1) the nature of understanding itself—in particular, the nature of " grasping " ; (2) the source of understanding's distinctive value. In what follows, I'll argue that we can shed light on both puzzles by recognizing first, the importance of the distinction between the act of coming to understand and the state of understanding; and second, that coming to understand is a creative act.

Understanding and Conscious Experience: Philosophical and Scientific Perspectives

An account is offered of the nature and value of understanding. In particular, an explanation of the special value of understanding is presented which flows from the account given of its nature. In terms of the nature of understanding, it is argued that it essentially involves a strong kind of cognitive achievement. This explains the distinctive relationship that understanding bears to epistemic luck and thus how it diverges from propositional knowledge, such that it is usually a more demanding epistemic standing but not always (as in cases of environmental epistemic luck). It is then shown how treating understanding as a strong cognitive achievement can account for its special value, both in broad terms and in terms of epistemic value specifically.

Metascience , 2019

2017

Understanding consists in integration and coherence amongst beliefs, the individual's grasping of these connections, and the explanatory power of the individual's representations of the world. Understanding is under-theorised in contemporary epistemology. Most epistemological research focuses on knowledge, and related epistemic kinds such as knowledge-relevant justification. This dissertation begins by motivating the value of thinking about understanding in epistemology. This is the aim of section A, 'Understanding and Value'.

My goal in this essay is to consider the relationship between explana- tion and understanding. I will defend the thesis that there is an entire spectrum of cognitive activities that deserve the name “understand- ing,” and that various kinds of explanation may be pivotal in some, but not in other such activities. I begin by outlining the classical Aris- totelian theory of explanation and attempt to show how it relates to the Ancient Greeks’ understanding of “understanding.” I then proceed to analyze the contemporary debate pertaining to explanation, which re- volves around the so-called deductive-nomological model. Although the model itself assumes no link between explanation and understand- ing, all of the competing accounts place emphasis on the necessity of making the link explicit. I conclude by outlining a theory of under- standing which helps one to grasp why different kinds of explanation contribute to making the world more comprehensible.

Explores the central role in Wittgenstein's later work of his opposition to a 'mechanistic' conception of understanding. Offers a diagnosis of Kripke's skeptical paradox on this basis. Forthcoming in Hyman and Glock (eds.), A Companion to Wittgenstein, Wiley-Blackwell.

Philosophical and Phenomenological Research, 1998

American Philosophical Quarterly, 2020

The philosophical interest in the nature, value, and varieties of human understanding has swelled in recent years. This article provides an overview of new research in the epistemology of understanding, with a particular focus on the following questions: What is understanding and why should we care about it? Is understanding reducible to knowledge? Does it require truth, belief, or justification? Can there be lucky understanding? Does it require ‘grasping’ or some kind of ‘know-how’? This cluster of questions has largely set the research agenda for the study of understanding in epistemology. I will conclude by discussing some varieties of understanding and highlight directions for future research.