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Literary notes about Discerning (AI summary)

The term "discerning" is often employed to evoke a sense of refined insight and acute judgment in literary works. Authors use it to describe minds capable of distinguishing subtle differences between truths, morals, or aesthetic values; for instance, characters are portrayed with the ability to sift through complex situations and respond with insightful perception ([1], [2]). In philosophical and religious contexts, "discerning" underscores the analytical process of separating essential facts from trivial details or even distinguishing between appearances and deeper realities ([3], [4]). It also appears as a marker of cultivated taste and sensitivity in discerning beauty, moral integrity, or intellectual merit, thereby enriching character portrayal and thematic depth across diverse genres ([5], [6]).
  1. Dimly discerning this, poor Bella put her hands in theirs, saying, "Lead me, teach me; I will follow and obey you."
    — from Work: A Story of Experience by Louisa May Alcott
  2. Another faculty we may take notice of in our minds is that of DISCERNING and DISTINGUISHING between the several ideas it has.
    — from An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, Volume 1 by John Locke
  3. Its powers of cognition are mainly subservient to these ends, discerning which facts further them and which do not.
    — from The Principles of Psychology, Volume 1 (of 2) by William James
  4. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord.
    — from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete
  5. Secondly, in the case of this categorical imperative or law of morality, the difficulty (of discerning its possibility) is a very profound one.
    — from Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals by Immanuel Kant
  6. Much madness is divinest sense To a discerning eye; Much sense the starkest madness.
    — from Poems by Emily Dickinson, Three Series, Complete by Emily Dickinson

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