• Kranky
    71
    I have come to the conclusion that we should all be skeptics.

    If I got hit by a car, people would generally agree that it would hurt.
    However, it is not certain that it would and I would not know this.
    We could perhaps say that "I think that I would be hurt".
    But that too is not certain.

    Now, here's the thing.
    I have seen people say things along the line of:

    "You can't know you'd be hurt but you have good reason to believe you would be".
    "Cars travel at great speed and if you accept a fast car would hurt you, this is a logical reason of your belief"
    "Another good reason why you do in fact believe it would hurt would be that I would have seen car crashes with my own eyes".

    Now, these 'good reasons' for highlighting if something would happen / if we are thinking a particular way....are not certain!

    An evil genius (heard of him?) could have made me mistakenly suggest fast cars hurt, whilst hiding my true beliefs from me. My brain could be in a vat and being fed untruths about logical reasoning, masking all true good reasons.

    If I cannot be certain that I think the car would hurt, how can I avoid complete skepticism? Surely having 'good reason to think otherwise' is no real answer. All evidence which suggests it would hurt, could be false.

    Thoughts?
  • RegularGuy
    2.6k


    Are you trolling us? Certainty is not required for knowledge
  • Kranky
    71


    Not trolling, simply unsure.

    How is certainty not required for knowledge?

    I believe car will hurt.
    That belief may not be my own (may not even be a belief,just me misunderstanding or making a mistake)
  • RegularGuy
    2.6k


    I wrote about this in the thread called, on solipsism and knowledge.
  • Kranky
    71


    Can you please summarise?
  • RegularGuy
    2.6k


    Why can’t you just read it? It’s on this forum for all to see
  • Kranky
    71


    How do I find this post? thank yuo
  • RegularGuy
    2.6k


    It’s an original post, probably on Page 2 or three of the “all discussions”
  • RegularGuy
    2.6k

    It’s on page 2 of “all discussions”
  • Kranky
    71


    You say:
    Likewise, since I have good evidence that other people have brains, and similarly I have a brain, and because of the other anatomical equivalencies between me and other human beings, and because of their similar behavior, I can infer inductively by analogy that based on this evidence, they are conscious like me.

    This is what I mean, "good evidence".

    This good evidence comes from our beliefs, our thoughts, our feelings etc. What if these indicators are false? What if the good evidence from my 'belief' is false because it isn't actually my belief, rather that I was mistaken.

    Wouldn't knowledge therefore be impossible?
  • RegularGuy
    2.6k


    So you are a global skeptic. Why would you want to live your life that way, and furthermore, how does that affect the way you live?
  • Kranky
    71


    I wouldn't want to live it that way, on the contrary.

    I'm asking if this 'good evidence' can be mistaken? I believe it can.
    There is as much chance that you watched Countdown, as you did not.
    The indicators that you had, cannot be certain. So if you 'feel' like you've watched it, this feeling may be mistaken - you may actually believe you missed the show?
  • RegularGuy
    2.6k
    But I would never believe that I missed the show as I could tell you what the show is about. How does it affect my life or how does it make my life any different if nothing that I experience is certain? I still live my life the same way.
  • Kranky
    71


    But, the 'memories' of the show could be false also?
  • RegularGuy
    2.6k
    So what? How does that affect my life or the way I live?
  • RegularGuy
    2.6k


    So what? How does that affect the way I live?
  • Kranky
    71
    I'm not saying it affects your life.

    I'm saying knowledge cannot be gained without certainty.
  • RegularGuy
    2.6k


    That goes against all epistemic theory.
  • Kranky
    71


    I'm new to all this...what's that haha?
  • RegularGuy
    2.6k

    Epistemology Is the philosophical study of knowledge
  • RegularGuy
    2.6k


    I could be mistaken about a particular belief, but I like to believe that most of my beliefs are consistent and coherent with the rest of my beliefs. They justify one another, and they are justified by sense experience.
  • Kranky
    71
    But again, the actuality of sense and experience is debatable.
  • RegularGuy
    2.6k
    So what? How does that make you anxious?
  • RegularGuy
    2.6k


    It is only debatable if you are a global skeptic. I don’t know why it would make you anxious, and I don’t know how to convince someone that they’re not being tricked by an evil demon. Do you understand how ridiculous that sounds to be tricked by an evil demon? Or that you are a brain in a vat? What is more likely? I believe it is most likely that the world is real.
  • Kranky
    71


    If my thoughts and beliefs are not certain, even with what I appear to feel and think, then that makes me feel uneasy.

    What if our loved ones are not real?
    What if our beliefs are so far false that we cause harm to others?
  • RegularGuy
    2.6k

    That’s ridiculous nonsense, and I don’t have time for this nonsense. How would a brain in a vat hurt anyone?
  • Kranky
    71


    Why is it ridiculous?
  • RegularGuy
    2.6k

    How would a brain in a vat hurt anyone or someone being tricked by an evil demon hurt anyone?
  • Kranky
    71


    If our beliefs are all wrong, then our actions could potentially be catastrophic.

    If it's not certain that water keeps me alive and I cannot be certain of my belief that it does, why drink it? It could quite easily kill me or others.

    If it appears that I believe this, I may in fact not and could, in the future, stop drinking water.
  • RegularGuy
    2.6k


    I suggest you seek out a psychiatrist immediately. You could be a harm to yourself or others.
  • Kranky
    71


    Brilliant.

    Dispute what I said as being wrong?
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