--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first meaning of 'cognitive' for us…" description: "\"The first meaning of 'cognitive' for us is that observations of others are made phenomenologically: i.e., by attempting to take the role of the other, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/452/lawrence-kohlberg-23774_meaning_the-first-meaning-of-cognitive-for-us-is_1489834.jpg" --- # The first meaning of 'cognitive' for us is that… ![“The first meaning of 'cognitive' for us is that observations of others are made phenomenologically: i.e., by attempting to take the role of the other, to see things from his or her conscious viewpoint.” quote by Lawrence Kohlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/452/lawrence-kohlberg-23774_meaning_the-first-meaning-of-cognitive-for-us-is_1489834.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/452/lawrence-kohlberg-23774_meaning_the-first-meaning-of-cognitive-for-us-is_1489834.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/452/lawrence-kohlberg-23774_meaning_the-first-meaning-of-cognitive-for-us-is_1489834.jpg) > “The first meaning of 'cognitive' for us is that observations of others are made phenomenologically: i.e., by attempting to take the role of the other, to see things from his or her conscious viewpoint.” [Lawrence Kohlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kohlberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding others requires stepping into their perspective, experiencing their consciousness phenomenologically. **In simple terms:** Empathy means seeing from another’s view. Key Takeaway Practice perspective‑taking to deepen empathy. Themes empathy perspective morality psychology understanding Mood thoughtful inquisitive empathetic Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - conflict resolution - teaching - therapy - team leadership Key Concepts theory of mind ethical development cognitive empathy Questions to Reflect On - When have you truly adopted another’s viewpoint? - How can you ensure your empathy is authentic? A Different Perspective May ignore power dynamics that limit true perspective‑taking. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cognitive Observations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cognitive-observations-5444551/) [Conscious Viewpoint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious-viewpoint-5444554/) [Meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning/) [Meaning Cognitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning-cognitive-5444553/) [Observations Phenomenologically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/observations-phenomenologically-5444552/) [Others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/others/) [Phenomenologically Attempting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phenomenologically-attempting-5444555/) [See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/see/) [Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things/) [Us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/us/) ## Related quotes > [Without meaning to sound anti-men, ghastly women are the closest you get to a male role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-burke/without-meaning-to-sound-anti-men-ghastly-women-are-the-closest-you/) [Kathy Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-burke/) > [“Do stories, apart from happening, being, have something to say? For all my skepticism, some trace of irrational superstition did survive in me, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/do-stories-apart-from-happening-being-have-something-to-say-for-all/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Life is meaningless, but worth living, provided you recognize it's meaningless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/life-is-meaningless-but-worth-living-provided-you-recognize-it-s/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Except for memory, time would have no meaning at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/except-for-memory-time-would-have-no-meaning-at-all/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [The meaning of this is, that whomsoever we love, in him we find our own soul in the highest sense. The final truth of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/the-meaning-of-this-is-that-whomsoever-we-love-in-him-we-find-our-own/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [“Meaning - this is perhaps the common note, the bane I am seeking. What is the Meaning of this book, this event in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/meaning-this-is-perhaps-the-common-note-the-bane-i-am-seeking-what-is/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [There is a grand design hidden behind the obstacles , they are inevitable in everybodys life, they are not without purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senora-roy/there-is-a-grand-design-hidden-behind-the-obstacles-they-are/) [Senora Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senora-roy/) > [“Buy calmly and with meaning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/buy-calmly-and-with-meaning/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) > [“You can drink your soup ice-cold, but it's no longer soup; you can do eccentric things in life, but if you haven't been able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/you-can-drink-your-soup-ice-cold-but-it-s-no-longer-soup-you-can-do/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Without meaning to sound crass, I've never had any psychological... help. 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It's so beautiful, the music,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-benigni/when-i-was-a-little-boy-i-was-reading-dante-and-i-was-saying-to/) [Roberto Benigni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-benigni/) > [That's the meaning of 'The Revenant': It's a return from death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryuichi-sakamoto/that-s-the-meaning-of-the-revenant-it-s-a-return-from-death/) [Ryuichi Sakamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryuichi-sakamoto/) > [“When we learn to attribute meaning to the events in our lives, we connect with our Higher Purpose, Higher Wisdom, or Source; we become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-barbara-apollon/when-we-learn-to-attribute-meaning-to-the-events-in-our-lives-we/) [Susan Barbara Apollon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-barbara-apollon/) > [When you find your purpose in life, nurture it and make it grow so that when you look back you will not regret living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-m/when-you-find-your-purpose-in-life-nurture-it-and-make-it-grow-so/) [Pamela M](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-m/) > [I think most people live in a space where they are looking for meaning in life and good in the world and that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryn-kagan/i-think-most-people-live-in-a-space-where-they-are-looking-for/) [Daryn Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryn-kagan/) ## More by Lawrence Kohlberg > [The individual makes a clear effort to define moral values and principles that have validity and application apart from the authority of the groups…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kohlberg/the-individual-makes-a-clear-effort-to-define-moral-values-and/) [Lawrence Kohlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kohlberg/) > [In our society, authority derives from justice, and in our society, learning to live with authority should derive from and aid learning to understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kohlberg/in-our-society-authority-derives-from-justice-and-in-our-society/) [Lawrence Kohlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kohlberg/) > [It seems obvious that moral stages must primarily be the products of the child's interaction with others rather than the direct unfolding of biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kohlberg/it-seems-obvious-that-moral-stages-must-primarily-be-the-products-of/) [Lawrence Kohlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kohlberg/) > [Although it may be true that the notion of teaching virtues such as honesty or integrity arouses little controversy, it is also true that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kohlberg/although-it-may-be-true-that-the-notion-of-teaching-virtues-such-as/) [Lawrence Kohlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kohlberg/) > [The unit of effectiveness of education is not the individual but the group. 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Our research tells us that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kohlberg/the-arguments-about-parents-being-too-permissive-and-kids-growing-up/) [Lawrence Kohlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kohlberg/) > [Insofar as each of us has been through the moral stages and has held the viewpoint of each stage, we should be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kohlberg/insofar-as-each-of-us-has-been-through-the-moral-stages-and-has-held/) [Lawrence Kohlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kohlberg/) > [The crowds, the praise, and the power are neither just nor unjust in themselves. As they are typically used in the schools, they represent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kohlberg/the-crowds-the-praise-and-the-power-are-neither-just-nor-unjust-in/) [Lawrence Kohlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kohlberg/) > [At this level, the individual perceives the maintenance of the expectations of his family, group, or nation as valuable in its own right, regardless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kohlberg/at-this-level-the-individual-perceives-the-maintenance-of-the/) [Lawrence Kohlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kohlberg/) > [If I can see my own recollections, like many adolescents, I was a Platonic realist. 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When Jefferson and others advocated public education, it was to prepare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kohlberg/essentially-social-education-is-moral-education-and-moral-education/) [Lawrence Kohlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kohlberg/) [Explore all 25 Lawrence Kohlberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kohlberg/) ## More Meaning quotes > [Without meaning to sound anti-men, ghastly women are the closest you get to a male role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-burke/without-meaning-to-sound-anti-men-ghastly-women-are-the-closest-you/) [Kathy Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-burke/) > [When you find your purpose in life, nurture it and make it grow so that when you look back you will not regret living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-m/when-you-find-your-purpose-in-life-nurture-it-and-make-it-grow-so/) [Pamela M](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-m/) > [“When we learn to attribute meaning to the events in our lives, we connect with our Higher Purpose, Higher Wisdom, or Source; we become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-barbara-apollon/when-we-learn-to-attribute-meaning-to-the-events-in-our-lives-we/) [Susan Barbara Apollon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-barbara-apollon/) > [That's the meaning of 'The Revenant': It's a return from death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryuichi-sakamoto/that-s-the-meaning-of-the-revenant-it-s-a-return-from-death/) [Ryuichi Sakamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryuichi-sakamoto/) > [When I was a little boy, I was reading Dante and I was saying to myself 'Bravo, Dante, Bravo.' It's so beautiful, the music,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-benigni/when-i-was-a-little-boy-i-was-reading-dante-and-i-was-saying-to/) [Roberto Benigni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-benigni/) > [Without meaning to sound crass, I've never had any psychological... help. It's because I feel my work is so revealing about who I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lepage/without-meaning-to-sound-crass-i-ve-never-had-any-psychological-help/) [Robert Lepage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lepage/) > [“You can drink your soup ice-cold, but it's no longer soup; you can do eccentric things in life, but if you haven't been able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/you-can-drink-your-soup-ice-cold-but-it-s-no-longer-soup-you-can-do/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Buy calmly and with meaning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/buy-calmly-and-with-meaning/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) > [There is a grand design hidden behind the obstacles , they are inevitable in everybodys life, they are not without purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senora-roy/there-is-a-grand-design-hidden-behind-the-obstacles-they-are/) [Senora Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senora-roy/) > [“Meaning - this is perhaps the common note, the bane I am seeking. What is the Meaning of this book, this event in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/meaning-this-is-perhaps-the-common-note-the-bane-i-am-seeking-what-is/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [The meaning of this is, that whomsoever we love, in him we find our own soul in the highest sense. 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For all my skepticism, some trace of irrational superstition did survive in me, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/do-stories-apart-from-happening-being-have-something-to-say-for-all/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [I think most people live in a space where they are looking for meaning in life and good in the world and that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryn-kagan/i-think-most-people-live-in-a-space-where-they-are-looking-for/) [Daryn Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryn-kagan/) [Browse all 2,913 Meaning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The first meaning of 'cognitive' for us is that observations of others are made phenomenologically: i.e., by attempting to take the role of the other, to see things from his or her conscious viewpoint.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lawrence Kohlberg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kohlberg/the-first-meaning-of-cognitive-for-us-is-that-observations-of-others/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Meaning" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kohlberg/the-first-meaning-of-cognitive-for-us-is-that-observations-of-others/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/452/lawrence-kohlberg-23774_meaning_the-first-meaning-of-cognitive-for-us-is_1489834.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/452/lawrence-kohlberg-23774_meaning_the-first-meaning-of-cognitive-for-us-is_1489834.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/452/lawrence-kohlberg-23774_meaning_the-first-meaning-of-cognitive-for-us-is_1489834.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The first meaning of 'cognitive' for us is that observations of others are made phenomenologically: i.e., by…” — Lawrence Kohlberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Lawrence Kohlberg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kohlberg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The first meaning of 'cognitive' for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kohlberg/the-first-meaning-of-cognitive-for-us-is-that-observations-of-others/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kohlberg/the-first-meaning-of-cognitive-for-us-is-that-observations-of-others/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```