Abstract
We subscribe to the view, expressed by Maturana and others, that a satisfying experience of understanding does not result from invoking objectivity, the truth, or a compelling argument, to achieve agreement by the force of reason, nor from a process of information exchange, but from some other qualities of the biological interaction itself. We experience some dissatisfaction when the "force of reason" viewpoint is not acknowledged, but is a hidden agenda, in discussions. To address our frustration and this issue in human coexistence, we employ secondorder cybernetics, in particular the biological explanatory framework of Maturana, Varela and others, to speak about the process of human understanding. We also introduce some ideas about behavioural confidence and structural coupling which are derived from animal studies and contrast quantitative attributes of behaviour with qualitative attributes of emotion, in which case metaphor seems especially useful. The satisfaction we derive from this is seen as part of our own understanding.