This term refers to grasping, or synthesizing, the larger or overall meaning, nature, or essence of something via an apparent mixture of empathy, intuition, and sometimes, telepathy.

This activity does not neccesarily imply a kind of extrasensory perception, but refers to those cognizing abilities associated with the holistic and more speedy functions of the right hemisphere of the brain.

Groking is in contrast to understanding, the latter of which is usually acheived via the slower and more laborious linear functions of the left hemisphere. Groking reveals the sum of the lined-up parts, which is not revealed by the parts themselves.

While the processes of groking and understanding do contrast, they are not mutually exclusive, and can work in tandem. It can be pointed up, though, that one can learn to understand information by sequentially lining it up, but perhaps fail to make a groking synthesis of the sequence.

As a familiar example of this, one can prepare food by following how-to recipes laid out in sequence, and this, of course, is a linear left-hemisphere process. Without the recipe, however, food stuffs remain a mystery. Those who grok food stuffs can produce delectable delights without reading how-to recipes.

Power of course includes both understanding and groking. But as with cooks, one probably should put one's money on the grokers.

-- 8ball (side@pocket.com), April 05, 2001

Answers

Good explanation of the concept, 8.

For those who wonder what the heck he's talking about, check out "Stranger in a Strange Land" by Robert A. Heinlein. Terrific read.

-- (MichaelSmith@barsoomian.waterbrother), April 05, 2001.

Thou art god.

-- Jack Booted Thug (governmentconspiracy@NWO.com), April 05, 2001.