We can know reality… but we cannot know the miracle… — Winston Man
Excerpt from AI: Winston Man’s quote: "We can know reality… but we cannot know the miracle…" is a deeply philosophical statement, expressing the contrast between what can be grasped with reason and what goes beyond human understanding.
Analysis:
“We can know reality…”
This part emphasizes that humans have the ability to perceive and understand the existing world — things that can be observed, measured, and verified. In other words, it refers to the realm of the physical world, the concrete, the observable.
This is the domain of science, logic, and experience. Reality is something that can be analyzed, explained, and described through language and thought.
“…but we cannot know the miracle…”
The second part opens up a different dimension — the “miracle.”
The term “miracle” here can be understood as things that are wondrous, transcendent, beyond the usual boundaries of logic. These are things that we feel but cannot fully explain: love, faith, the soul, life, beauty, or even the meaning of existence.
Philosophical meaning
The quote raises a limit to knowledge:
Understanding reality is something humans can do through reason. But there is a deeper layer — one of intuition, experience, and the sacred — that reason cannot reach. This thought echoes ideas in various philosophical traditions:
In Eastern philosophy: “The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao” (Laozi).
In Western philosophy: Kant referred to it as the “thing-in-itself” — something we can never fully know.
In religion: The miracle is something that humans can only experience, not prove or measure.
“Reality” — Reason, science, and limits
When Winston Man says, “We can know reality…”, he is referring to what humans can observe, analyze, and prove — things and phenomena that can be measured by our senses or tools. This is the world of science, of rational knowledge.
For example: we know that the Earth revolves around the Sun, we know that water boils at 100°C, we know that human cells contain DNA... Science not only describes reality but also controls it: building airplanes, curing diseases, constructing cities. But… even though we understand the structure of matter deeply, science cannot explain everything. It cannot fully answer questions like:
“Why do we exist?”
“What is the meaning of life?”
“What is love, and why do we love one person rather than another?”
“What is beauty, and why does music move us?” These things seem to belong to a deeper layer — the one Winston Man refers to as the “miracle.”
“Miracle” — Intuition, spirituality, art, and transcendence
The word “miracle” (mystery, the miraculous, the numinous) is used to describe things that cannot be explained by reason.
A miracle is not “irrational,” but “supra-rational” — beyond the reach of reason, but not in opposition to it.
Some specific examples:
In love: we can analyze hormones, psychology, and culture — but we still cannot fully explain why a glance or a touch can make our hearts tremble.
In art: a piece of music can make us cry not just because of harmonic techniques, but because it touches a profound, inexpressible emotional layer.
In meditation or spirituality: people speak of experiences of “awakening” or “oneness” with the universe — something that cannot be communicated, only directly experienced.
The limits of language and the impotence of knowledge
The quote also reveals an important truth:
There are things we cannot understand — we can only live, experience, and feel them. Language and reason are tools humans use to shape the world. But as poet T.S. Eliot once said:
“We had the experience but missed the meaning.”
This is very close to Eastern philosophy:
Laozi said: “The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao.” Zen Buddhism says: “Without establishing words, the teaching is transmitted beyond teaching” — truth cannot be conveyed by words, only directly realized.
Conclusion: The coexistence of two worlds
Winston Man’s quote does not dismiss science or reason, but places them in their proper place — as one half of the human experience.
The world needs science to exist, but it also needs the miracle to live with soul. Humans are not only creatures who think, but creatures who feel, dream, and contemplate. “Knowing reality” helps us live well. “Feeling the miracle” helps us live meaningfully.
