Something I am interested in contemplating: is the question of whether the concept of 'understanding' is an emotion, or if it a mental tool we construct in order to comprehend a situation. Understanding at its basic core is something we use for comprehension of events and experiences. We use understanding to explain the actions of friends and enemies, we use it to get a grasp on the significance of events, and we use it to get a grasp on knowledge that is presented to us. Understanding then, is the way we contemplate thngs we experience, infer the meaning behind the experience, and apply it to our life. In addition to this, understanding must be something that has the capability of comparing the experience to all previous experiences, in order to find similarities and differences between them. If understanding is an emotion, then it is something that we can only feel when in a certain state of mind, then based off of psychological evidence, that means that when one is experiencing understanding, one is incapable of feeling certain other emotions when feeling it. For example, one cannot feel happy when feeling scared. So that means one is incapable of feeling understanding when feeling other incompatible emotions. However, if understanding was a cognitive tool that one can apply to a situation, then that implies that it can be used in any emotional state, and by any person who has basic cognitive functioning.
There also seems to be a scale of understanding. There is a greater and a lesser understanding. Some people can only understand parts of a theory, while others understand much more. If it is on a continuum, then it seems to line up more with an emotion, for one can fluctuate from mild to extreme anger or happiness. However, understanding seems to be used for different purposes than other emotions, so it would be a unique one. I am on the side that would claim understanding to be an emotion, rather than a tool we use to understand and construct our perceptions. What do others think?
