What is the difference between a premonition and a precognition?

Question

To me they both mean the same thing. The ability to see a possible future.

Answer 1

These two terms are very similar, because both are related to events that have not yet occurred.

Precognition, literally means "knowledge before". When a person is precognizant, they have knowledge of events before they occur. Many "psychics" make predictions of coming events. When they do this, and they are right, they are often demonstrating precognition.

A premonition is a vision or a warning of an event that may happen. For example, a person may have a "premonition" that they will be injured in a train accident. If that person avoids trains, they will not be injured, but, the premonition may still have been a valid warning of something that *might* occur.

Precognition is a skill or a gift demonstrated by a person who can know the future. A premonition is something that comes from the outside of a person and is recognized as a warning of what could come. Good question!

Answer 2

These two words are seperated by a Very subtle difference--

premonition -- is a previous notice or warning OF something
(can be of any source) or -- an anticipation OF an event without Conscious reason !

precognition, however --- is clairvoyance relating TO an event or "state" not yet experienced !

Premonition is more of a thing having to do with ALL events and circumstances and can be from ANY source --- While precognition is much more personal and comes from a "sixth sense" type of thing !!

Answer 3

Precognition is the direct knowledge or perception of the future, obtained through extrasensory means. Precognition is the most frequently reported of all extrasensory perception (ESP) experiences, occurring most often (60 percent to 70 percent) in dreams. It may also occur spontaneously in waking visions, auditory hallucinations, flashing thoughts entering the mind, and the sense of "knowing."

The difference between precognition, premonition, and prophecy: premonition generally involves knowledge of a future event while premonition involves the sense or feeling that something is going to happen.

A different and controversial theory contends that the precognitive experience itself unleashes a powerful psycho kinetic (PK) energy, which then brings the envisioned future to pass.

Answer 4

for me a premonition (the information you get from;)comes via-dreams,and precognition it's delivered in a wake-up state.

Answer 5

They both require hindsight and are both equally unsubstantiated, so I think if there is a difference it's a minor one.