Understanding as Organized Beliefs

Abstract

Explanation not only promotes understanding, but also presupposes understanding. Paradoxically, one must understand a lot to explain a little. To acquire understanding by means of explaining, one must already understand what it takes to give an explanation, what commitments the explanation requires, in what situation an explanation is requested, and the meaning of the words in the explanation. Furthermore, an explanation produces understanding only if one already understands what explains what, or if one offers a tentative hypothesis one must at least believe what can possibly explain what. In both cases presenting an explanation demands a fair grasp of the topic of explanation, as well as some understanding of oneself as a producer of explanation, and of the cognitive values of the persons or community to which one offers an explanation.