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]).
- 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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