Discernment (Skt. विवेक, Viveka) is the ability to distinguish between real and unreal, true and false, knowledge and ignorance.

On the path of knowledge, discernment is:

• The most essential quality of a seeker

• Developed through critical thinking and logic

• The faculty that enables progress on the path

• Sharpened by applying the criteria for truth

Discernment allows the seeker to separate valid knowledge from beliefs, assumptions, and indoctrination.

See also rationality, intellect.