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Stages of cognition
By
Dr Ghayur Ayub
There is a step-wise
linkage between information, knowledge, understanding, opinion, belief,
reality, truth and wisdom which goes like this:
Knowledge received from
others is stored in our memory as ‘Information’.
When we reflect it as such in our conversation or in writing we are actually
providing information not knowledge. But when it is analytically blended with
the information already stored in our memory, it is converted into our Knowledge.
In this way we store information on one hand and knowledge on the other. One
needs an optimum capacity in memory to store or retrieve the two. Secondly, we
should distinguish whether we are projecting information or knowledge in our
discussions. Most of the times, in our daily conversations or writings, we
project information, knowledge or both without distinguishing one from the
other. Projection of information means a good memory and projection of
knowledge means a good analytic mind. Either way, if it is done for the good of
others it is honorable, otherwise it is boastful and egoistic.
We find this especially
true with the custodians of religion. They stand on a podium and give sermons
to congregation narrating stories which are nothing but information. To make it
more appealing, they use Arabic language which most of the congregations don’t
understand. And to add spice to it, they start repeating it rhythmically. This
practice takes us back in history when religions were evolving and the
magicians were jumping in arena to counter the theologians with their skillful
acting and excellent oration. For them, religion was acting and for the
theologians it was reality.
Coming back to the
present time, the religious custodians act like magicians and impress the
congregations through excellent acting and commanding oration. And vast
majority do get impressed. At the end of the discourses, they walk away shaking
their heads with admiration as to how knowledgeable the speaker was; not
knowing that all he did was to narrate what he heard or read. That’s how the
society is brain washed randomly by distorting the fine line between
information and knowledge.
It becomes gloomier when
pertinent but seemingly penetrating questions are asked of such speakers. They
get irritated. We have seen it on TV talk shows. Reason? The answers require
knowledge and they only have information. To make it worst, most of them carry
heavy egos on their shoulders. So instead of satisfying the enquirers, they
shut them up with insulting attitude and warn them that they (the questioners)
are transgressing religious etiquette ignoring the fact that they themselves
overstep social manners.
That's how information
gives birth to knowledge and the two are tuned in our daily life. Does the
process stop there? Not really, because the inquisitive human mind wants to
explore more. Things get muddy when knowledge starts moving forward on the path
of erudition and comes across the indigenous reasoning turning knowledge into Understanding. But reasoning has an intimate
linkage with its step sister - the doubt. So, the doubt begins countering
reasoning which gives understanding a philosophical color. Philosophy which
rides on logic is nothing but a combat zone between doubt and reasoning. It is
an unending battle as doubt keeps appearing in different shapes after defeated
by reason. It is like peeling off an onion. As we peel one layer, the next
layer appears and the process goes on and on. No wonder, some people call
philosophy as an open-ended or unending knowledge. During the battle between
doubt and reasoning when reasoning wins, even if it is for a short time, it
converts understanding into Opinion.
A strange thing happens
at this stage. While the battle continues between doubt and reasoning, in which
the reasoning gets sturdier and doubt becomes punier, the opinionated knowledge
makes the person 'big-headed’. He becomes arrogant, looks down upon others and
considers himself superior in erudition. We see this approach with most of the
scholars. This state continues until the doubt is knocked down to the ground
turning opinion into Belief. A
believer tries to mallow down, shedding his arrogance and dumping his sense of
grandeur, through a process of self-evaluation. As self-evaluation is
difficult, chances are that he might slide back and become opinionated. And
that’s where the role of a mentor comes into play. It is an important role as
the mentor evaluates him on his behavioral approach. In doing so, the guide
helps him change his reasoning into ‘will’ through repeated practices. In this way, ‘will’ takes
over the dominant role of ‘reasoning’, making ‘doubt’ disappear completely and
setting aside the power of logic. Such ‘will’ is different from the ‘free will’
we talk about in ordinary lingo. This ‘will’ is also called ‘power in
completeness’ and is bracketed with love. Some people consider it as
‘consciousness’ stating that when in action it is ‘will’, but when stationary
it is ‘consciousness’. Either way, it is intrinsically linked with love. It is
like the relationship a ‘particle’ has with ‘wave’ in quantum mechanics.
At the end of evaluation
wherein the guide induces behavioral changes into his psyche by shunning his
doubts, setting aside his logic, strengthening his ‘will’ and filling him with
love, the role of his mentor comes to an end. This is the turning point as from
here on, the power of ‘will’ filled with love pushes him forward. That power keeps showering belief
with spontaneous reality giving him inner awareness. The inner awareness, in
return, opens windows wherein he learns how to conquer intuition, encompass
inspiration and envision revelation. The trio, one by one become the key factor
in attaining the milestone and reach the last stage of Truth and
Wisdom. This wisdom should not be confused or equated with the wisdom we
talk about in normal philosophical sense. It’s beyond logic and is perceived
through intuition, inspiration and revelation. In Quranic interpretation, the
revelation is termed as Amr-e-Illahi or Divine Command. Sufis call it reaching
the stage of Walaya or Union.
To put it in
mathematical equations, the whole process from information to wisdom turns out
like this;
1. External Knowledge =
Internal Information.
2. Internal Information
+Internal Synthesis = Internal Knowledge.
3. Internal Knowledge +
Discerning = Understanding.
4. Understanding +
Reasoning = Opinion
5. Opinion - Doubt =
Belief
6. Belief + Reality= Truth
7. Truth = Wisdom
The End
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