Changes

Another significant point of view holds that [[knowledge]] is the simple awareness of bits of [[information]]. Understanding is the awareness of the [[relationship|connection]] between the individual pieces of this information. It is understanding which allows knowledge to be put to use. Therefore, understanding represents a deeper level than simple knowledge.

Another significant point of view holds that [[knowledge]] is the simple awareness of bits of [[information]]. Understanding is the awareness of the [[relationship|connection]] between the individual pieces of this information. It is understanding which allows knowledge to be put to use. Therefore, understanding represents a deeper level than simple knowledge.

Gregory Chaitin, a noted computer scientist, propounds a view that comprehension is a kind of data compression[1]. In his essay [http://www.umcs.maine.edu/~chaitin/sciamer3.html ''The Limits of Reason''], he argues that 'understanding' something means being able to figure out a simple set of rules that explains it. For example, we 'understand' why day and night exist because we have a simple [[model]] - the rotation of the [[earth]] - that explains a tremendous amount of [[data]] - changes in brightness, temperature, and atmospheric composition of the earth. We have 'compressed' a large amount of information by using a simple model that predicts it. Similarly, we 'understand' the number 0.33333... by [[thinking]] of it as one-third. The first way of representing the [[number]] requires an [[infinite]] amount of [[memory]]; but the second way can produce all the data of the first representation, but uses much less information. Chaitin argues that 'comprehension' is this ability to compress data.

Gregory Chaitin, a noted computer scientist, propounds a view that comprehension is a kind of data compression[1]. In his essay [https://www.umcs.maine.edu/~chaitin/sciamer3.html ''The Limits of Reason''], he argues that 'understanding' something means being able to figure out a simple set of rules that explains it. For example, we 'understand' why day and night exist because we have a simple [[model]] - the rotation of the [[earth]] - that explains a tremendous amount of [[data]] - changes in brightness, temperature, and atmospheric composition of the earth. We have 'compressed' a large amount of information by using a simple model that predicts it. Similarly, we 'understand' the number 0.33333... by [[thinking]] of it as one-third. The first way of representing the [[number]] requires an [[infinite]] amount of [[memory]]; but the second way can produce all the data of the first representation, but uses much less information. Chaitin argues that 'comprehension' is this ability to compress data.

==Quote==

==Quote==