# Man and his Symbols - Chapter 1: The importance of dreams (Part 1)
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## Summarium Meditatio
Jung makes the point that there is much that lies beyond human understanding[^1]. As a result we frequently employ symbolic terms to represent these concepts. Symbols as far as I can tell based my reading of Jung are *representations that contain a necessarily ill-defined unconscious aspect that is beyond it's obvious and immediate meaning*.

Jung wishes to dispel the myth that we ever perceive anything fully or understand anything completely, a very biblical principle[^2]. Nonetheless whilst we can compensate for the deficiencies of our senses at some points we reach the edge of certainty beyond which conscious knowledge cannot pass.

Jung argues that there are '*unconscious*' aspects of our perceptions. He argues this based on a reasoned summary of what is necessary for us to perceive anything at all. 

Firstly Jung points out that our sense experience of *real* phenomena must be translated from reality to the mind. This act of perception is it self then an abstraction. My perceptions are not the experiences themselves but the experiences encountering my conceptual schemata.

Secondly there are many events we have experienced that remained below the consciousness threshold, of which we only become aware in a moment of intuition. As such things *dawn* on us as we become increasingly conscious that they must have been the case. This is difficult to grasp

We may not be attentive to our friends kind attempts to let us down gently as they seek to offer various various reasons why they cannot attend a birthday party. It is only when we are present and they are absent that perhaps the nuances and subtle hints within this conversation enter into our conscious thoughts. We might have *seen* but in seeing did not *perceive*. 

From this Jung presents a compelling argument for the unconscious pointing out that if there is no unconscious then this is an indirect claim to complete knowledge of the psyche. He argues that the root of this is likely *misoneism*; the fear of the new and unknown.


[^1]: Consider [Isaiah 55:8-9](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+55%3A8-9&version=ESV).
[^2]: See [1 Cor 13:12](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+13%3A12&version=ESV).