HUMAN CAPACITY FOR REFLECTION Sodagudi Nagendra Babu (B09036) IIBPH

HUMAN CAPACITY FOR REFLECTION
Reflection is a term that many would immediately associate with intelligence. The capacity for human reflection can be traced as the excavation of intelligence. It is the capacity and the willingness of the humans to learn more about the fundamental questions regarding human existence etc. Human reflection is related to the philosophy of consciousness, the topic of awareness, consciousness in general and the philosophy of mind. Humans consider themselves to be the dominant species on Earth and the most advanced in intelligence and ability to manage their environment.
It is that capacity to reflect differentiates the human beings from all other creatures. Reflection represents an important form of human thought; from ancient to modern times, the human capacity for reflective thinking has held the imagination of various philosophers and educational theorists. Despite this interest, researchers define reflection in different ways.
Various attempts have been made to identify a single behavioral characteristic that distinguishes humans from all other animals. Some anthropologists think that readily observable characteristics are based on less easily observable mental processes that might be unique among humans: the ability to think symbolically, in the abstract or logically, although several species have demonstrated some abilities in these areas. Nor is it clear at what point exactly in human evolution these traits became prevalent. They may not be restricted to the species Homo sapiens, as the extinct species of the Homo genus are believed to also have been adept tool makers and may also have had linguistic skills.
In learning environments reflection is an important part of the loop to go through in order to maximize the utility of having experiences. Rather than moving on to the next 'task' we can review the process and outcome of the task and - with the benefit of a little distance (lapsed time) we can reconsider what the value of experience might be for us and for the context it was part of.
Intelligence is the capacity to reflectively contemplate, to think deeply in search of answer for the philosophical questions. However such capacity does not stand on its own. As in the case of constructive knowledge the capacity for reflective manipulation of information patterns is intimately armed with collective qualities of the dimensions of intelligence.