Beyond Comprehension?

[Siggie]

Have you ever tried to explain something to someone and they just didn't understand?

Do you think it's possible for something to just be beyond what someone's capable of understanding?

[dusken]

I believe stupidity exists. Yes.

[dusken]

This thread must have been influenced by your trying to explain something to someone. Who was it and what were you trying to explain?

[Siggie]

Ha... actually not by a recent incident.
I've encountered this is stats a lot. When I've had an "Aha!" moment and tried to explain to someone else and they just do not get it. I've tried to have others explain... nope.
Sometimes I think people just can't wrap their brain around certain things.

[anileve]

Have you ever tried to explain something to someone and they just didn't understand?

Do you think it's possible for something to just be beyond what someone's capable of understanding?

I honestly think that there is no such thing as an incapability of understanding unless it is attributed to some illness. However, I am a strong believer that there are only lazy thinkers, those who are capable but are too lazy to apply any effort. I want to hear what you were trying to explain.

And speaking of being a little on the slow side. I was once approached by a student who wanted to know where the computers were in the library. I pointed straight ahead a bit past the microfilm machines. She nodded and sat down in front of the microfilm machine which was not on. She started turning the nob and seeing no results turned around in frustration and said: "This computer is not working." So in her case as badly as I laughed afterwards I understood that she was just familiarizing herself with the technology.

Siggie, your turn to spill the beans.

[gevo]

I honestly think that there is no such thing as an incapability of understanding unless it is attributed to some illness. However, I am a strong believer that there are only lazy thinkers, those who are capable but are too lazy to apply any effort. I want to hear what you were trying to explain.

And speaking of being a little on the slow side. I was once approached by a student who wanted to know where the computers were in the library. I pointed straight ahead a bit past the microfilm machines. She nodded and sat down in front of the microfilm machine which was not on. She started turning the nob and seeing no results turned around in frustration and said: "This computer is not working." So in her case as badly as I laughed afterwards I understood that she was just familiarizing herself with the technology.

Siggie, your turn to spill the beans.

HAHA.. thats funny. .. and i agree with what you said about everyone being capable of understanding.. if not to lazy..

BUT.. sometimes i find myself explaining a certain formulo for whatever we are doing in the engineering labs. .and i explain it over and over again with no results.. lol.. sometimes it takes to long for the person infront of me to understand.. would that be the same ???

[loseyourname]

There are definitely people out there who are just incapable of understanding certain things. Anyone remember this: http://forum.armenianclub.com/showthread.php?t=2454

[spiral]

I agree with anileve. I think that all people are capable of understanding whatever is being explained to them, unless they have some sort of disabiltiy, as anileve mentioned.

However, I think that different people have a different way of taking in information, or analyzing/understanding situations.

You may explain one thing to a person and this person may not get it, and you may be explaining this issue/subject in the simplest form to you, however, this person may look at things in a more complex way, enabling him to understand the 'simpler' explanation.

[jilbagh]

i hate explaining things twice. i wanna shoot stupid people

[Crimson Glow]

I think there definitely are certain things that certain people can't understand, no matter how well it is explained, things that are outside their realm of disecting the meaning to, or beyond their abilities to comprehend the concept of. I face this just about every time I try to explain my take on the Matrix to someone. It's not even an issue of not agreeing. We can't even get to the point of them understanding in order for them to take a stance on the view point. I swear, after explaining for a few minutes, a good 90% of the time, I hear "but we're not attached to a computer, that's crazy!" At this point, I have to slap my forehead, and try it again. But alas, the ideology of the metaphor just doesn't get through. It's lost upon them. Frustrating, to say the least.

I've dealt with this on many subjects. Sure some of it is atrophy of the mind due to lack of use, but I don't think some people get it no matter how many different people explain it, and no matter how many different ways it's explained.