The article “What is Erkenntnis” concludes with the observation that we need Erkenntnis before we can talk about an experience. It becomes also a lot easier to memorize something when we connect the concept behind it, in other words recognize or understand it. If you hear a sentence in a language you don’t understand, it will be very difficult to memorize the sound and repeat it. But when you recognize words and concepts in the sound you hear, when you know the language, repeating a sentence becomes much easier. Erkenntnis is a process that happens all the time in our mind, mostly unconscious.
This permanent unconscious Erkenntnis activity in our mind is essential for our orientation in this world. If we want to make use of our full potential, it is a good idea to consciously retrace the process of Erkenntnis. Only when I become aware of a judgement I made can I actively reflect on it. Only then can I reconsider, investigate the background and legitimacy of my Erkenntnis. And predict its impact on my future. In the best case I can uncover a fallacy and get rid of it, break free from a prejudice or leave behind a belief that blocked the way towards a better understanding of reality.
The risk for a fallacy is highest when we are not really interested in the object in question and instead are more worried about confirming our established worldview. In this situation the perception is often interrupted and covered up by our expectations and convictions. It becomes visible at this point that we need to consciously perceive the world to have a solid base for Erkenntnis. When we notice that our perception is short or interrupted, we must ask ourselves why that is.
A belief can result in a refusal to accept a perception. We then also refuse to take a closer look at something. With the belief that matter is the cause of everything in the world we are unable to explain many phenomena. These are then denied entirely, or metaphysical explanations are rejected in hope of a future explanation based on matter, provided as soon as our understanding of matter has improved sufficiently. If we refuse to observe, we probably don’t find the right concept and thus don’t get to the truth. Then we are unable to get to an understanding.
The nature of anything in this world can only be found with unbiased observation. That makes awareness of our own beliefs so important. To enable a closer look at the world, we must first understand ourselves better.