Understanding and Conscious Experience. Philosophical and Scientific Perspectives

When it comes to the most common terms, those that we use on a daily basis, philosophy seems to have a hard time defining them. It is not that we do not have a grasp of those concepts, but rather that we cannot provide a satisfactory definition, one that can easily be generalised and used in different domains. First, it was ‘truth’. Then, ‘meaning’ followed. ‘Understanding’ had to be on the team as well. These are terms that are used daily, but they also have an important role in the scientific and formal knowledge. Therefore, it is not an unfounded philosophical work, it is a much needed one, that also impacts non-philosophical fields. ‘Understanding and Conscious Experience. Philosophical and Scientific Perspectives’ edited by Andrei Ionuț Mărășoiu and Mircea Dumitru manages to collect philosophical articles focused on ‘understanding’. What is interesting is the fact that the book does not focus solely on an aspect of the term, or on a specific philosophical tradition, but gathers different perspectives that are trying to provide answers to distinct questions. This provides almost an exhaustive image of the philosophical work done around this concept, making this book intriguing both for those newly interested, and for the titrated philosophers.