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Intellectual Ways of Knowing |
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"Studying the universe engages us in something bigger than ourselves. Science tries to describe, in terms we can only grasp intuitively, things that are beyong our intutions...all we can hope for is that our physical descriptions, like a song or a good painting, are a faithful evocation of some ineffable truth." Read more...
-- Br. Guy Consolmagno, S.J.
"Curiosity, earnest research to learn the hidden laws of nature, gladness akin to rapture, as they unfolded to me, are among the earliest sensations I can remember." Read more...
-- Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
"For the real amazement, if you wish to be amazed, is this process...The mere existence of such a cell should be one of the great astonishments of the earth." Read more...
-- Lewis Thomas |
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| Intellectual knowing is accomplished by the brain through thinking processes like analysis, pattern recognition, and generalization. Ways of knowing and learning generally referred to as rational, analytical, logical, or empirical, and that |
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deal with the observable material world or with highly-developed abstract concepts (such as philosophy or higher mathematics), are included in this category. While brain function is obviously related to intellectual ways of knowing of this type, some of the more important ways that brains process information are far more subtle and certainly not related to "reason".
The diagram of black and white splotches here has no meaning except that given it by the brain itself. If you look at it a moment, you'll notice that after a very brief lag time of processing you suddenly "see" the image in the picture. A second picture shows pairs of objects that are oriented differently in three-dimensional space. If you rotate one or both of the pairs in your mind, you can "match them up" to see if they're pictures of the same thing. Notice that this process is a bit more difficult and requires more intentional concentration, therefore taking you longer. Also, whereas most people can see the picture in the pattern of black-and-white splotches, the ability to rotate figures in three-dimensional space varies substantially. Some people can do it very easily while others simply can't.
Howard Gardner's book "Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences" explores some of the basic differences in human thinking processes and concludes that our culture has been too quick to classify only certain types of brain abilities as "intelligence" for purposes of testing a person's smartness or possibility of future success. Clinical neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks explores still broader types of non-analytical brain functions that expand our understanding of how the brain participates in many different types of knowing. His best-selling book "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: and Other Clinical Tales" challenges our ideas about brain functions, intellect, and intelligence in provocative ways. Nevertheless, "intellectual" knowing as we are typifying it here -- the way it is generally typified in American culture -- refers primarily to rational, analytical processes.
To explore an example of intellectual knowing first-hand, visit Intellectual Learning about Tornadoes. Note: The Tornado link takes you to an older Tapestry webpage that has not yet been reformatted because of its high image content. Use the return button on your browser to return to this page when you have finished exploring the example.
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