How good are you at tracing the essence behind appearances?

Question: How good are you at tracing the essence behind appearances!?
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Very good!. Everyone has feelings from inside that without speaking throw up a flag for you to either sense a feeling of trust or mistrust!. You can tell a lot about people just in how they talk or how they act!. Just looking inside someones eyes tells me the essence of their nature!. It,s amazing that they don,t even have to speak another language or say anything at all!. A persons eyes tells you everything!. They show sadness, joy, compassion,love,hate, and distrust!. The best language to me is the language of silence!. I suppose to some it is hard to know what I am talking about, but to others it is an idea to think about!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Plato said essences were in the heavens!.
Aristotle said they were "in the things themselves!."
The Stoics disagreed with their hero, saying essences were instead concepts!.
Wm of Occam agreed with that, thereby disagreeing with Aquinas, thereby engaging the wrath of the Roman Church, and he had to flee to save his neck!.
Kant agreed with the metaphysics of Aristotle, but did so by invoking the epistemology of Plato, which is how he managed to claim that essences which were "in the things themselves" were noumenal and therefore utterly unknowable!. Aristotle made it sound as if "essences" could be known and someday scientifically extracted!.
Ayn Rand agreed with the Stoics and Occam, disagreeing with her hero Aristotle, and so do I!.

Essences are conceptual!.
"The rules of correct definition are derived from the process of concept-formation!. The units of a concept were differentiated—by means of a distinguishing characteristic(s)—from other existents possessing a commensurable characteristic, a Conceptual Common Denominator!. A definition follows the same principle: it specifies the distinguishing characteristic(s) of the units, and indicates the category of existents from which they were differentiated!.

"The distinguishing characteristic(s) of the units becomes the differentia of the concept’s definition; the existents possessing a Conceptual Common Denominator become the genus!.

"Thus a definition complies with the two essential functions of consciousness: differentiation and integration!. The differentia isolates the units of a concept from all other existents; the genus indicates their connection to a wider group of existents!.

"For instance, in the definition of table (“An item of furniture, consisting of a flat, level surface and supports, intended to support other, smaller objects”), the specified shape is the differentia, which distinguishes tables from the other entities belonging to the same genus: furniture!. In the definition of man (“A rational animal”), “rational” is the differentia, “animal” is the genus!."
Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, 53, Ayn Rand

I am capable of that, now that I understand the principles she delineates!. It took me a while!. But I can do it, with enough data!. No one even Rand herself could do it without the data!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

growing up in India and with a lot of spiritual and intellectual exposure to art and philosophy!.!.!.

i must say!.!.!. i'm pretty good at it by now!

it is said in our culture that every experience is "maya" , an illusion!.!.!.

and reality lies beyond the illusion of life!.!.!.

i sometimes find it easy to trace the essence beyond the appearances!.!. what i find difficult is to accept them!Www@QuestionHome@Com

good enough to know who is good and bad!.!.!.can separate which is true and false!.!.!.can feel the reality and the essence of fantasy!.!.!.!.and so from the written prose!.!.!.can feel when one is happy and sad!.!.!.beginning and its end!.!.!.!.passionate or romantic !.!.!.gentle and harsh!.!.!.!.growing inside and becoming a child!.!.!.so i think am good!.!.!.enough to trace the essence behind appearances!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

i know istead of saying how good or how bad i am ,this is what i do !.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.to decode another person will take a lifetime and that is for people we really really like :)!.!.!.as for others , i suggest ;observation and experience (urs and friends /family, by which i mean ,ASK for help when i doubt )!.!.!.!. u can easily pick up clues to a persons' character and personality by talking and spending some time with them !.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.books are a temporary substitute for real life experience but its better than nothing !.!.!.!.!. books give u that instant vicarious learning crash courseWww@QuestionHome@Com

I believe it depends on how I feel about the person and how well I acqauinted with the person I am!. I have been lied to and misled before by so many that I thought were my most trusted friends that now I have my doubts about everyone!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The face is index of mind- the eyes are gateway to soul
the voice conveys the mental emotional and intellectual essence of a person -
A fool is undetected until he or she speaks -

these are good ways to see deeper :-)Www@QuestionHome@Com

I would say pretty good!.My instincts are pretty good and I trust them!.My 60 years has given me insight to the many ploys and masks we humans tend to use!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Unfortunately I am an optimist!. Always messes me up :-)Www@QuestionHome@Com

pretty goodWww@QuestionHome@Com

!.!.!.uncanny!
!.!.!.and saved me a number of times
WWww@QuestionHome@Com