In the Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字), an early Chinese dictionary, guan (觀, to observe) is defined as “to look intently,” suggesting close observation, discernment, and critical examination. Nian (念, to think or remember) is defined as “to think continually,” encompassing both a fleeting thought and an enduring preoccupation. Together, these two characters suggest that ideas emerge through the activity of subjective consciousness. They arise as individuals encounter and interpret the external world, and their formation is inseparable from lived, sensory experience.

Although ideas originate in individual consciousness, they can nevertheless acquire objective validity. Human beings do not exist in isolation; they are constituted through their social relationships. Our emotional lives, intentions, and acts of will are inevitably shaped by the social realities in which we live. Ideas that now appear self-evident, firmly established, or enduring are, in fact, expressions of social consciousness arising from social existence. They encompass the understandings and interpretations people develop of social phenomena, as well as the more systematic and theoretical forms into which these ideas may subsequently evolve.[4]

Such ideas may begin as personal and subjective experiences, but this does not preclude them from attaining broader validity or wider acceptance. Even subjective experiences of emotion, spirit, and consciousness can give rise to, and be transformed into, scientific knowledge and shared social understandings that possess a degree of objectivity and general applicability. Indeed, many groundbreaking scientific discoveries and enduring works of art that resonate with the public have their origins in subjective, sensory, and affective experience.

This relationship between personal experience and the development of knowledge is illuminated by the British philosopher Michael Polanyi (1891–1976), a prominent advocate of the importance of personal knowledge. As he famously observed, “All knowledge is personal.” For Polanyi, scientific knowledge cannot be entirely separated from the individual knower.

Before scientists arrive at a discovery, they engage in a complex process of attention, observation, analysis, comparison, judgment, revision, and adjustment. This process requires not only logical reasoning but also a deep personal commitment to inquiry. It draws upon habits of mind cultivated through sustained exploration, as well as individual temperament, intuition, intellectual devotion, passion, and insight—in short, the affective and personal dimensions of rational inquiry.

As the text under discussion emphasizes, “scientific passion can serve as a guiding force.” Without the guidance of an intellectual passion informed by reason, research risks losing its direction and becoming a succession of mediocre or inconsequential investigations.

Deeply considered emotions and elevated intellectual aspirations thus form the inner core and orienting force of ideas. They give ideas their direction and animate their development. Through their capacity to shape values, motivate inquiry, and inspire commitment, they can also foster profound personal transformation, sustain rational criticism, and guide practical action.