Today we’ll talk about a very interesting phenomenon. For example, now those who graduate from school know very well why it snows or rains. Students have the simplest knowledge of anatomy. We have become more attentive to our health. The level of medicine for all has grown significantly. So this is only one thing: we have numerous explanations. This is the last noun we will analyze today.
Value
Of course, the definition of “explanation” has a lot of different aspects, but you still need to start with the meaning that is recorded in the explanatory dictionary in order to build everything else on this foundation. Of course, this is not the most interesting part, but it is necessary. So, the explanatory dictionary states the following:
- Same as explain.
- Written or verbal justification or admission of something.
- That which clarifies or helps to understand something.
As you can see, there are many values. But you also need to understand what lies behind the infinitive. We will not torment the reader. The explanatory dictionary says the following: "Interpret someone or comprehend for oneself, make clear, understandable." That is, the main thing in the noun “explanation” is the finding of cause-effect relationships between phenomena.
Examples of use
If you think about it, then all the values of the object of study are reduced to understanding what is happening in the world in general. When the boss wants an employee to explain, he wants to understand why he was late for his beloved and, of course, well-paid job. Everything is clear with the rest. For example: “Peter acted in such a way that it is difficult for me to find any rational explanation for this” (this is to the 3rd value). Or an example: "It’s hard for me to explain how the new system for evaluating the effectiveness of each employee in our company works, but I’ll definitely think about it." In the latter case, the infinitive can be replaced by synonyms such as “comprehend” or “give an explanation”. This, hopefully, is understandable. We move on.
Passion is ineradicable
The paradox of human nature is that it’s hard to make people learn, but their passion for explanation cannot be corrupted by any means. We don’t know whether the reader has observed or not, but there is such a phenomenon: preschoolers invent theories that explain various physical phenomena. Of course, these hypotheses are unscientific, but funny. For example, the waving of branches in the wind can be explained not by the wind itself, but by the movement of the earth. It is difficult to understand which logic forms such an interpretation, but it obviously exists there.
Ancient and modern people
But we will speak, of course, not about children, but about our ancestors. Until that time, when people headed for the rationalization of existence, that is, turned to a scientific understanding of the world. And it happened in the 17th century. This period in history is called the “New Time” and lasts from the 17th to the 20th century, although there is no consensus on the framework of this historical period. Someone claims that the New Age began almost at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, and ended at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.
But we know that science has not always been ahead of the rest. Ancient people preferred magical causal relationships, and accordingly, a similar kind of explanation, this is a well-known fact. And the problems were also solved in a peculiar way: there is no rain - a victim is needed. And if it began to rain, then the gods took pity on humanity. The world was much more interesting than it is now. Then nature was inhabited by gods and spirits who ruled everything. Now everything is fresh and boring. This is probably why many out of boredom still believe in other worlds, signs and other unprovable things. I don’t want to realize that nothing but the material world exists. In one of the books of K.-G. Jung it is said that the more a person learned about the world, the less gods became in it. And the one God as an idea is present in consciousness, because we have not yet solved some important questions of the metaphysical order: “What is the meaning of life?”, “Who rules the world?”, “Does predestination exist?” Maybe they basically have no answer, so the idea of God is eternal as a universal key to understanding and justifying the chaos and absurdity that are created in reality.
Metaphor is not an explanation
Speaking about the interpretation of the meaning of the word “explanation”, one cannot fail to say about the difficult relationship between metaphor and the object of study. Why is it important? Because many people confuse these concepts and think that if you pick up a good metaphor, that is, an image, everything will become clear at once. The cynical diagnostician Dr. House loves metaphors, but if his colleagues did not have a medical education, they would not understand him.
The subtle difference between a good image and an explanation
But sometimes a metaphor is the key to understanding the psychological state of a person, that is, using metaphors, you can convey a certain feeling to another. A well-known example is when a husband and wife perceive the world in completely different ways. She is a kinesthetic, that is, for her, the touch, sensations of the body are important, and he is visual, that is, the picture is important for him, what he sees. A stumbling block is crumbs on the dining table. My wife forgot to erase them. Her husband reminded her every day that the table should be clean, but nothing came of it. The couple even went to a psychologist, who used a metaphor. He told his wife: "Imagine these crumbs in your nightgown." And since then, the wife has always wiped from the table. So the kinesthetic wife fully understood her visual husband. And in this case, a metaphor is only a way of understanding, a way to convey information to the other side, and the real reason why her husband was so annoyed by the crumbs is that he is visual. Of course, it’s important to understand the meaning of the word “explanation”, this is understandable, but it’s also important to catch the hand of someone who offers you a metaphor instead of an explanation, which does not make it easier to understand what is happening. Images are good when there is no mystery in the mechanism of an unknown phenomenon. In other words, sometimes it’s not bad if a person expresses directly.
Paranormal phenomena and the perspective of knowledge
Once we understand what the word “explanation” means, it would be nice to consider events that so far cannot be interpreted by science. We are, of course, talking about phenomena that go beyond the ordinary: psychometry, telepathy, telekinesis, ghosts, ghosts. The popularity of the science-fiction series The X-Files is not worth talking about. So, people want to believe. By the way, this is the main slogan of the serial film: "I want to believe", that is, "I want to believe."
But, in addition to an excellent plot, the inexplicable inspires a person with the prospect of learning new things. If science leaves the world without a mystical flera, then life will become fresh. All sorts of "tales from the crypt" and fascinating stories can be considered as an atavism of faith in a miracle among our ancestors. But in any case, the tension that arises between the opposites, and saturates our lives with emotions and intrigue. And if you think that complete rationalization is good, then review the film "Equilibrium" (2002) and re-read "Oh Brave New World" by Huxley.
Therapeutic effect of the autopsy of the causes of the phenomenon
This may seem strange to some, but the truth, in addition to practical benefits, also contains a therapeutic effect. The scientific data here can not serve as an example, but when people break up, it is always a little easier if the man or woman knows the reason for the gap.
In psychological practice, awareness of the problem is generally the cornerstone of the whole therapeutic process, and this applies to almost any type of treatment, whatever psychological direction is meant. Psychological difficulties arise in a person for various reasons, but they all have one thing in common - the true cause of torment is always hidden.
What does the explanation of the whole picture mean for the client? This is liberation. It is clear that no awareness will help if a person does not intend to change his life, but a true understanding of himself gives him the necessary impetus. As the hero of Jim Carrey said in the movie Liar, Liar: “Truth will set us free!” The way it is.
So, we examined the question of what the word “explanation” means, as well as the subtleties associated with this noun.