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25 Things We Understand Clearly But Can’t Fully Explain

There are some things in life that just go without saying. We all understand them intuitively. They just make sense to us. For example, breathing. How do you explain that to somebody? And we’re not talking about the scientific sense. We know, oxygen, carbon dioxide, gas exchange, etc. What we are talking about is actually explaining to somebody how to breathe. Could you do that? What would you tell them?

You see, there are some things that are just impossible to explain. You can’t talk someone into flexing their diaphragm and taking a breath in the same way that you can’t explain what the color blue looks like. Well, it looks like peacefulness or happiness or quietness. That’s just hippie talk! There is no way that you could definitively describe the color blue to someone in a way that would confirm they are seeing precisely the same color and shade as you. It is just impossible. When it comes to colors, words fail us. We have no vocabulary to describe what definitively distinguishes blue from green or red from orange.

And that is the topic for today. These are 25 Things We Understand Clearly But Can’t Fully Explain!

Featured Image: pixabay

25

Beyond a reasonable doubt


Beyond a reasonable doubt

Source: quora

The meaning of this legal term is so vague that lawyers are actually encouraged to not try defining it. In fact, there is no accepted definition and for most of recorded history it has been held to be self-evident.

Note: it is basically the point where it becomes obvious that the defendant is guilty. Perhaps not surprisingly, that point is very subjective.

24

Smells


Smells

Image: pixabay, Source: reddit

There is no clear way to describe what you are smelling without using a lot of adjectives and hoping the other person is a good guesser.

23

Attraction


Attraction

Source: quora

Why do you like them? Because I just do!

22

Yawning


Yawning

Image: wikipedia, Source: reddit

Apart from the fact that scientists still don’t know why we yawn, they also don’t know why it is contagious.

21

Humor


Humor

Source: thoughtcatalog

Why do you find something funny? It’s pretty hard to explain succinctly.

20

The taste of water


The taste of water

Image: pixabay, Source: quora

It tastes…watery.

19

Dreams


Dreams

Image: pexels, Source: reddit

As with a couple other things in this list, not even scientists can explain them.

18

Tickling


Tickling

Image: wikipedia, Source: quora

More specifically, what it feels like. Oh it feels bad? Then why are you laughing?

17

Nothingness


Nothingness

Source: reddit

Try to explain the concept of nothing without using the word “nothing” or the word “opposite.”

16

Emotions


Emotions

Image: pixabay, Source: quora

Recognizing and being able to identify your own emotions is hard enough. Describing them is next to impossible.

15

Gravity


Gravity

Image: wikipedia, Source: thoughtcatalog

Thanks to Einstein, our understanding of gravity changed, but we still don’t really know what it is or exactly how it works. All we know is that more mass = more gravity.

Curious about more inexplicable things? Check out 25 Crazy Diseases Science Can’t Explain.

14

Time


Time

Image: pixabay, Source: quora

It’s almost impossible to describe without using a self-referencing definition.

13

Sleep


Sleep

Image: wikipedia, Source: thoughtcatalog

More precisely, why we sleep. Scientists aren’t even sure of the reasons. We all assume it’s to rest, but our brains can actually be more active at night than during the day.

12

Temperature


Temperature

Image: pixabay, Source: reddit

The extremes of “hot” and “cold” to be more accurate. How would you describe heat to somebody? It burns? But wait, so does extreme cold.

11

Breathing


Breathing

Image: Shawn Rossi via Flickr, Source: reddit

Not the science of it, but the practical aspect. If your friend all of a sudden forgot how to breathe, and you couldn’t do CPR (or get near him/her), what would you tell them to do?

10

English


English

Source: reddit

Or English spelling to be more specific. Are there even any rules?

9

Moving your body


Moving your body

Image: wikipedia, Source: quora

It sounds dumb, and as with a few other things on this list, we are not interested in the scientific definition, but rather the practical definition. If your friend (the one who forgot how to breathe) instead forgot how to move, what would you say this time?

8

Colors


Colors

Image: wikipedia

We all know what blue is, but how on Earth would you explain it to someone?

7

Language


Language

Image: wikipedia

This is something that we just seem to understand, even as children. Even kids who grow up in environments where they are not exposed to any human language (feral children) will develop their own language. Furthermore, all languages share the same, or similar, methods and functions in spite of developing completely independently e.g. verbs, nouns, prepositions, articles, declension, conjugation.

6

Points, lines, and sets


Points, lines, and sets

Image: wikipedia

In math, they are defined as “undefined primitives.” This essentially means that they are self-evident. Or in other words, you can’t define them without themselves. A point is a point.

5

Music


Music

Image: pixabay, Source: quora

Why is it that a major chord is happy and a minor chord is sad? Furthermore, what does music even sound like?

4

Directions


Directions

Image: wikipedia, Source: thoughtcatalog

Try to tell somebody the difference between left and right without pointing or using directional words (clockwise, etc).

3

Riding a bike


Riding a bike

Image: wikipedia, Source: thoughtcatalog

You just…do it.

2

Instinct


Instinct

Source: quora

If you’ve ever had a gut feeling and tried to explain it, you understand.

1

Pain


Pain

Image: wikipedia, Source: thoughtcatalog

This is actually a legitimate problem faced by doctors and health care professionals as different patients describe the same problem very differently.