Final answer:
The object of knowledge is the element or subject matter being perceived or considered by someone. Thich Nhat Hanh is emphasizing that all cognitive processes involve an object in addition to the subject who knows or experiences something, illustrating the interdependent nature of knowing.
Step-by-step explanation:
The object of knowledge refers to the thing that is being perceived or conceived in the act of knowing. In Thich Nhat Hanh's explanation, the concept highlights the interdependence between the knowing subject (the person who is aware or comprehends) and the known object (the subject, idea, or thing which is being understood). This is a fundamental aspect of the theory of knowledge, which is investigated within the philosophical branch of epistemology. Put simply, knowledge arises within a context where the knower cannot exist without something to know, and that 'something' is the object of knowledge.
Incorporating the perspectives of various philosophers, this idea is reflected through Kant's views on sensibility and understanding. Kant posited that the mind has to organize sensations (gained through sensibility) into concepts (via the understanding) for objective knowledge to occur. Similarly, for Indian philosophers, true knowledge (enlightenment) involves recognizing the impermanence of all things within the endless chain of causes, embodying the object of knowledge as that which is impermanent and causes attachment and suffering.
In essence, the excerpt underlines that cognitive processes like seeing, hearing, or thinking are never isolated acts; they invariably involve an object. Understanding, craving, and ignorance are all dynamically linked to their respective objects, pointing again to the intimate connection between subject and object in the cognitive realm.