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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 [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.

==In programming==

==In programming==

In a Thesis Book called "A study of Quality Improvements By [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refactoring Refactoring]" made at the University of Antwerp on 2006 by Bart Du Bois (Phd) and promoted by many notable professors, the [[author]] explains that for a programmer to understand how to work with a new piece of code or a new system, five levels of abstraction have to be understood.

In a Thesis Book called "A study of Quality Improvements By [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refactoring Refactoring]" made at the University of Antwerp on 2006 by Bart Du Bois (Phd) and promoted by many notable professors, the [[author]] explains that for a programmer to understand how to work with a new piece of code or a new system, five levels of abstraction have to be understood.

Lack of awareness of this pattern for evaluating abstractions, may bring about many Cognitive biases when complex ideas are explained. The idea of Refactoring in software is similar in the cognitive field to the repetition of an argument, with minor focus changes/enhancements to the argument each time.

Lack of awareness of this pattern for evaluating abstractions, may bring about many Cognitive biases when complex ideas are explained. The idea of Refactoring in software is similar in the cognitive field to the repetition of an argument, with minor focus changes/enhancements to the argument each time.

[[Category: Psychology]]

[[Category: Psychology]]

[[Category: Philosophy]]

[[Category: Philosophy]]

[[Category: Computer Science]]

[[Category: Computer Science]]