As one point made by Hume, what reason do we to have to suppose that things will continue on as they always have? What reason do we have to suppose that the laws of physics will be the same in 500 years? We can't prove this, except to say that that's the way things have always been. — Waya
Because reality is constant. If it wasn't then nothing, including the identity of our selves, would be constant.
Through many generations of investigation, humanity has acquired the concept of reality and its absoluteness. This reality is understood to be fundamental to everything as well as constant in its expression of everything. The constancy is expressed through principles or laws which govern how everything is designated to be. And because the fundamental cause is the same then the effects will mirror that consistency. Basically, like begets like. Therefore, a constant reality will reflect a constant array of phenomena. — BrianW
Anyway, in conclusion, you and anyone else, can only be absolutely sure of themselves. Regardless of whether you understand your circumstances or not, you must recognize your self. I believe that is the proof of certainty which you seek. — BrianW
I am not sure of myself and see no way to prove it. I simply assume I exist and what I see is probably true. — Waya
It is impossible to prove it. — Waya
Life could just be a grand illusion, all the interactions are just products of an overly active imagination. — Waya
Perhaps. It is a curious matter indeed, but at times it gets old and some get sick of guessing all the time.Uncertainty is freedom from having to be right all the time, If the internet is full of incessantly boring think-they-know-it-alls now, imagine what it would be like if there was certainty! Uncertainty is what makes life worth living! — Happenstance
:razz:They probably got that impression from Science's ability to heal the sick and make hydrogen bombs. — frank
A few notes on being certain.
It would be wrong to argue from the observation that science does not produce certainty to the conclusion that we can never be certain. There are things other than science. Can you be certain that you are in pain? Or better, can you doubt that you are in pain?
Because doubt is the antithesis of certainty. Just as falsehood is the antithesis of truth.
Certainty and doubt are about belief, not truth. You are certain when your belief is such that you do not doubt.
Like when you are reading this without doubting that it is written in English. Only now that I have mentioned it, do you start to wonder if this is really a thread about English Sports Cars.
That is, it's all a bit more complex than you might have at first thought. — Banno
Haha, funny.There's always a certain irony in using computers to express such sentiments. — Wayfarer
An illusion to whom? — Andrew M
I am not certain that I exist, but I believe I exist. It is an assumption. Who am I? That is something I cannot answer. I see myself as stupid, lazy, ugly, and worthless, but someone else may see me as someone valuable and beautiful. So, who am I?That "I" or "self" is the certainty of which I speak of. How did you arrive at an I which assumes, or which can be (un)certain of anything, or can observe to see what is (un)true. That self which you may or may not understand how it came to be is the certainty everyone has. And its the reference point from which everything else is perceived. — BrianW
Yes, which is where the assumption and calculation of likelihood must come into play. Hume could not know that he wouldn't be poisoned, but he chose to believe it to be probably okay and consumed it anyway.Hume's observations on certainty are brilliant, but the most important thing he said about it is usually ignored.
"I cannot be certain that this dinner will not poison me
.....................
but I am going to eat it anyway"
In the second half of that sentence lies his distillation of the central wisdom of Stoicism, Buddhism, and other great worldviews and religions that help us to understand, accept and then maybe even rejoice in the uncertainty of the world.
The Stoic sages advise us to imagine each the day the loss of that which is dear to us. They suggest that it will both help prepare us for its eventual inevitable loss and help us to appreciate it (them) while it (they) are present. — andrewk
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