When we work with the Known and Unknown, we often find ourselves in areas of the Unknown that seem quite familiar, even though we thought we didn’t know anything about them.

We also find ourselves in areas that we know are Known to others, but we are unfamiliar with them ourselves. 

The areas that we definitely know are fully known and familiar to us, and the areas that we really  don’t know are completely unknown and unfamiliar to us.

This gives us four areas we can use as a reference in our exploration of the Known and Unknown.  The four areas are:

Known and Familiar
This is the realm of the physical where we can simply connect with what we know and are familiar with. In Jungian terms, this is the Sensing function.  In the field of Complexity, this would be classed as Simple.

Known and Unfamiliar
This is the realm of the theoretical, where we may be unfamiliar with the subject, but we know that other people are familiar with it.  In Jungian terms, this is the Thinking function.  In the field of Complexity, this would be classed as Complicated.

Unknown and Familiar
This is the realm of the experiential, where may have experienced the subject, but have forgotten about it. Although we may initially feel that the subject is unknown, it usually becomes known by recreating the context or space that originally surrounded it.  In Jungian terms, this is the Feeling function. In the field of Complexity, this would be classed as Complex.

Unknown and Unfamiliar
This is the realm of the creative, where we have no knowledge or familiarity with the situation, and the only way we can make sense of it is to use our innate human creativity. In Jungian terms, this is the Intiuitive function. In the field of Complexity, this would be classed as Chaotic.