Ontological Analysis of the Distinction between Understanding and Knowledge

Possibility of knowledge and its essential nature, often in response to skeptics who denied its attainability. The central issue in these discussions has been identifying the key components of knowledge. The traditional view, rooted in Plato's thought, defines knowledge as "justified true belief." While this perspective dominated Western epistemology from ancient Greece until the 20th century, some scholars have argued that knowledge alone is insufficient to capture the full range of human cognitive capabilities. Instead, they have emphasized the concept of "understanding."
This study aims to differentiate understanding from knowledge, presenting them as distinct cognitive capacities that address different aspects of human curiosity and intellectual engagement. Using a descriptive-analytical method with a critical approach, the research demonstrates that understanding is neither equivalent to knowledge nor a subset of it. The key argument is that, ontologically, understanding is non-transferable, whereas knowledge is transferable.