Understanding,
levels of understanding 



" - Why does man reason, while the other animals do not reason ? …
Why therefore does man reason, while the other animals do not reason ? …
Because, to a certain extent, there are also in other animals, numerous activities produced by the reasoning.
- Why also, the animals are not reasonable in a equal way to the man? …
- But why then, all men themselves are not equally reasonable ? …
In fact, we must conceive that, it was not necessary that all lives which are as movements, and that all thoughts were identical ; but it was necessary that the lives and thoughts differ " (cf. Plotinus - Treatise 38 - 8, 30),

"There is another energy, principle in my flesh which God made me, not only of life but of sensations ; commanding the eye not to hear, and the ear not to see but the eye that through it I should see, and the ear, that through it I should hear ; … this energy that also horse and mule have, for they have as me, sensation." (Cf. Saint Augustine – Confessions – Book X, 7).

At this beginning of the third millennium, what would they write these illustrious thinkers? 

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Henceforth, we can argue "realism" (existence), in our body, of multiple understanding levels.
Indeed, we are poles of ceaseless fluxes of processes organizations with biological effects, of processes organizations with behavioral effects and even with deadly effects, and that requires from taking into account of specific value’s references at every key level of our organism,
essential activities which presuppose, evidently, numerous faculties, among which faculties that enable recognitions, judgments, choices, anticipations, …, decisions and actions.
Thus, don't be surprised if life’s dynamics gives evidence of numerous understanding levels, interdependent and adapted to complexity level of the beings.

For example, if we were :

* a "cell",
we would have some intentions and objectives comparable to these which emerge from consciousness state.
Besides, we would be an extraordinary factory in which we would perceive our environment by elementary senses, and preserve our information in biological memories composed of molecules, atoms and particles, …,
we would analyze and manage development of our "body" with main desires as, to maintain our life and to increase our understanding of "small world " which surrounds us.
For that purpose, we would know therefore the "high-low", "right-left", ..., "I - no I", "friend - enemy", "useful - harmful", …,
and we would have all faculties necessary for our life’s dynamics. 

Our value references would be adapted to our complexity levels and we would use durations, these intervals which are not space, these mysterious intervals of "transcendent order".
However, in spite of the numerous evoked resemblances, our knowledges would not be so "subtle" and "general" that the ones of the man.

* a "plant",
we would not ignore the solar and lunar cycles, ..., would recognize the wet zones for our roots, …, would use photons necessary to our extraordinary photosynthesis activities ...
"Venus Flytrap" (dionaea muscipula, it's a carnivorous plant) for example, we would add up since we would react to disturbances of our hairs but only if successively, two are perturbed, but two opposite each other.

* an "animal" or "humanoid",
the activities, of transcendent order, of which we would be pole, would lead us to act according to instinctive modes. Evidently, we would have a small knowledge of the things and phenomena notably, on account of little memorization capacities,
nevertheless, we would have proto-feelings.
Thus,
birds have family sense and even use rudimentary tools, …,
superior animals are sensitive to human affection,
chimpanzees, orangutans and gorillas have a proto-consciousness state.

* Let's return to our "man state".
Henceforth, we know that we are "bearers" of :
- understanding's level of elementary beings, that of our cells,
- understanding's levels which include proto-consciousness state,
- and consciousness-state that enables wide transcendencies and deep introspections.

But then, if there is no structural discontinuity between life's phenomenon and inert matter, what is the understanding at atoms's level and even, at quantum level ?
Let's remind that at quantum level, there are permanently, respect of directions and rigorous chronologies.

Obviously, physical matter does not recognize, does not judge, does not choose, …, does not act ; thus, cannot "evolve" by itself.
"Implication" of a creative entity, of transcendent order, is necessary.
Plotinus would not contradict us, him who believed to coexistence of the "good" and "evil" in inert matter :
"How when inert matter is bad, can it wish the good, without losing its estate of inert matter by its participation to the good ? " (cf. Treatise 26 - III, 6 - 11, 31). 

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