While I'm at it, I may as well include this short article too. It compares and contrasts knowledge and understanding. For a Christian runner, it's important to know the differences. In a world full of "knowledge," it can be easy to get sidetracked, and never really understand the bigger picture. For instance, running is great and can ease the mind allowing further concentration on spiritual matters, but running itself is not spiritual, neither is it a religion. Okay, I'm rambling. Just read the article and leave any comments.
Michael Hicks
Knowledge and Understanding
In order to acquire wisdom, it is essential that one first gain
knowledge and understanding. This is because wisdom is an application
of knowledge and understanding. However, to attain these things, a
proper distinction of the two must be made. Although knowledge and
understanding share a hierarchical relationship, they are not one in the
same.
Knowledge is simply information in its most raw form. It is generally
accumulated by being exposed to and memorizing facts or data. Knowledge
alone cannot yield more knowledge. It is not until some application of
that knowledge is made, that additional knowledge can be propagated.
Knowledge is analogous to single pieces of a jigsaw puzzle; each
individual piece, although paramount to the whole puzzle, is not
representative of the entire picture alone. Only by analyzing and
interpreting all other available data [puzzle pieces] can one begin to
form the whole picture; this is the process of understanding—without
which, knowledge is useless.
Understanding, unlike knowledge, is a process. It is accumulated by
carefully classifying and arranging bits of knowledge in order to get a
better “picture.” Understanding can yield more knowledge through the
practice of deduction. Using the previous analogy; given a puzzle piece
with a particular patter, size, and shape; one can infer to which area
of the puzzle the piece may belong. Likewise, knowing that only a
certain size and shaped puzzle piece could fit into a given area, one
could deduce what piece would be needed. Simply put, understanding is
the process of receiving knowledge, realizing every aspect of it, and,
most importantly, applying it appropriately to construct or support
various different concepts. Additionally, unlike knowledge, in which
each fact is representative of itself as a whole, and one either has the
entirety of the information or none at all; understanding a concept
does not require possession of every single piece of available
information. Instead, the concept can be realized by organizing
knowledge into a recognizable “picture” even though some pieces may be
incorrect or missing altogether. In fact, this phenomenon is the very
construction of epiphanous events.
So we see, knowledge and understanding are linked, but are not
synonymous; knowledge is a derivative of understanding. All knowledge
is a small part of a greater understanding, but simply possessing that
knowledge does not grant the beholder the understanding. Moreover,
wisdom is the application of understanding, of which is formed of
knowledge. Wisdom cannot be achieved by knowledge alone. Therefore, to
acquire wisdom, there is no truer statement than “with all thy getting,
get understanding,” (Proverbs 4:7 King James Version).
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