The Conceptual Understanding Mechanism

Concepts are things that people use to make sense of life. But how do we, as humans, learn concepts? We learn concepts either through experiencing them or by witnessing them. To elaborate, when someone learns the meaning of the word “super,” they may either be in a positive situation in which the word is said to them and, through their awareness of what is happening at that moment, they understand its meaning; or they may see someone else achieve something successfully while the word “super” is used. Through this, they learn in which situations and in what ways the word can be used. This constitutes one part of what I call concrete context. Fundamentally, we all learn concepts or understand their meanings in this way, because during childhood, we acquire concepts through exposure.

At the same time, the other aspect of concrete context can also be used when creating a new concept. A person attempts to make sense of the data received through their senses and transfer it into an abstract form. This does not necessarily have to involve direct experience; an experiment, for instance, can also provide concrete data. In other words, concrete context is the process of comprehending the concrete data present within the moment in which a concept is used and being able to create a new designation for it in language.

Conceptual consciousness is the ability to understand the meaning of a concept, its connections with other concepts, and the contexts in which it may be applicable in the future (including the creation of new designations in language). This function requires concrete context, because the learning and formation of concepts, as well as the establishment of connections between them, take place through concrete context, upon which individuals progressively build. For example, a mathematics professor is not born knowing calculus; they first learn addition and subtraction through very basic and concrete examples. Similarly, the concepts an artist uses when describing the decay of society are shaped by the concrete context derived from the simple concepts and events they have encountered and learned since childhood. In other words, the foundation for understanding complex and abstract concepts is established through simple, concrete concepts and events.

In conclusion, we all possess conceptual consciousness and use it across different domains. Concrete context is necessary for the formation and development of this ability, as well as for the formation of new concepts. This constitutes a mechanism of human understanding. Through this mechanism, which is shared and utilized by all of us, we may also be able to integrate our collective processes of inquiry, since this mechanism is inherent to human cognition and is used by all of us.