DOUBT AND CERTAINTY: A PHILOSOPHICAL RELATIONSHIP OF THE TWO PARADOXICAL NOTIONS
I. INTRODUCTION
It is a human nature to be somewhat terrified to the unknown. However, the world is a giant conglomerate of doubt. An extensive analysis is subjected to an extensive doubt. On the other hand, humans continuously seek for certainty regarding a specific situation. We want to be certain and aware on what is coming, in order to be prepared and fully know the truths. However, is it possible for humans to achieve certainty with everything? What would the world be like if humans do not have any hint of doubt?
The avenue of philosophy is primarily about addressing the fundamental questions regarding reality, existence and truth in order to fulfil one’s curiosity. Philosophizing is asking the right questions to come up with the right answers. Relevantly, the feeling of doubt impels man to ask philosophical
…show more content…
EXPOSITION OF THE TWO NOTIONS
A. Understanding Doubt
Doubt is generally defined as a state of mind; some would say an affliction of the mind. “It refers to a condition in which one is unable or unwilling to accept, on the face of it, a given statement as true.”1 When we say we are in doubt, what we mean is that we are not altogether certain about the correctness of a proposition, the reliability of a person or even the existence of something.
Not all doubts are created equal. Doubt in its various forms exists. One of these is in the form of quotidian doubt which is pertains to suspecting that the proponent of a proposition is most probably not telling the truth, and at the same time, may even have reason to do so. For instance, when a very probable suspect who is questioned by the police asserts that he is truly innocent, one may not accept the statement as absolutely true.
Additionally, if a doctor were to tell a close relative of a seriously ill patient that there is a very good chance of recovery, one may have some doubts about what the physician
Voltaire once said, “Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is an absurd one.” We live in a world that is constantly changing and does not grant the certainty that people desire. But, people want the stability of knowing what is going to happen; this is why certainty is absurd. In his essay The Surety of Fools, Daniel Kahneman provides examples of people using a phenomenon he calls the illusion of validity. These people strongly believe their actions cause a specific outcome, when in reality there is statistical evidence that shows their actions have no direct correlation with the outcome. While Kahneman argues the illusion of validity comes partially from people’s tendency to make quick decisions without fully conveying the causes, it really stems from people’s fear of uncertainty from having a lack of knowledge. Other fields of academia, such as science and economics, have admitted that uncertainty grounds their thinking processes. Kahneman is inaccurate in neglecting to mention that it is the fear of uncertainty that really causes the illusion of validity.
In simple words skepticism means the ability to doubt.Theres a very famous argument termed as " The Dreaming Argument " by Chuang Tzu .The argument goes as Tzu dreamt of being a butterfly in his dream so now when hes awake how can he be sure that it isnt a butterfly dreaming of being a man .Its one of the greatest examples of thinking symetrically.There are two skepctical traditions that is Academic and Pyrrohonian Skepticism
Countless times in class I will see doubt overcome people's ability to think. They will get stuck on one question and not be able to move on because they can't decide what answer to choose. Doubt clouds their ability to make a conscious decision in their work. In worse case scenarios doubt can cause a person’s body to physically shut down in the form of a panic attack. Their brain can't make a
The doubting game is a way of examining statements that relies purely on skepticism. When examining statements with this method, one must actively search for ways in which the claim cannot be true. The doubting game is all about finding flaws within a statement in order to find the truth.
As I was watching the Frontline Video, Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero, I was immediately faced with the question about evil. It is hard to imagine how someone could do something so horrific in the name of religion. So many lives were forever changed during the events that transpired on Tuesday morning, Sept. 11, 2001. As a believer of God, I could certainly identify with the feelings of the people who lost loved ones during the 9/11 tragedy.
Shadow of a Doubt is an Alfred Hitchcock film that was shot on location in the 1940's town of Santa Rosa, California. The town itself is representative of the ideal of American society. However, hidden within this picturesque community dark corruption threatens to engulf a family. The tale revolves around Uncle Charlie, a psychotic killer whose namesake niece, a teenager girl named Charlie, is emotionally thrilled by her Uncles arrival. However her opinion slowly changes as she probes into her mysterious uncle. In the film, director/producer Alfred Hitchcock blends conventions of film noir with those of a small town domestic comedy as a means of commenting on the contradictions in American values.
In Shadow of a Doubt, Hitchcock utilizes and stretches the ambiguous line between comedy and suspense by utilizing smaller characters in the film to keep the story line moving, and to help break sequence or rhythm of what the audience had been perceiving at the time. Many of the minor characters were used as “fillers”, such as the waitress in the bar when Uncle Charlie and Charlie are sitting in the bar, and makes the comment “I would die for a ring like this”; or the quiet, gentle neighbor Herb who is fascinated with the process of homicide and murder. It brings to the audience an immediate comic relief, but similar to all of Hitchcock, leaves an unsettling feeling of fear and suspense with
In Peter Elbow’s essay “The Doubting Game and Believing Game” he discusses the two types of games that an individual can use to look for the truth in a situation. The Doubting game, is when an individual believes everything is false, and prove each assertion wrong, and the Believing game, is the process where an individual believes that all assertions are correct, and go over each one separately. With both games, there are certain rules that must be followed.
René Descartes was an extremely influential 17th-century philosopher and came up with many ideas that still persist to this day. One of those ideas was Cartesian skepticism, which states that “the view that we do not or cannot have knowledge in regard to a particular domain,” knowledge, in this case, is justified, true, beliefs. He first comes up with his idea of skepticism in the first part of his work “Meditations On First Philosophy,” aptly named “Of the things which may be brought within the sphere of the doubtful.” In his first meditation, he discusses his doubts with sensory illusion/error, possible dream states, and regarding deception by an evil demon. However, after dissolving his first two doubts, he gets stuck on the third and
In the movie Doubt, the idea of certainty versus doubt is a central theme to the story. Doubt and certainty are
Fear and doubt are found in everyone. How one decides to handle fear and doubt influences their future. Tom Hooper’s character Bertie in The King’s Speech has many doubts and fears surrounding his speech impediment. All people live with fears and doubt, it is learning how to conquer and manage fears and doubt that is the challenge. Everyone has different ways of handling these fears. At times to succeed at shutting down these fears, more fear and doubt will be felt. A strong support system is usually a key to defeating these fears. Letting fears and doubts leads to a life of missed opportunities.
To begin, it is important to understand and analyze what philosophy is and ultimately what a philosophical question is. Philosophy is a quest after knowledge. Philosophy is the action of thought and analysis, in fact, it is a pretty unique type of
The novel “Doubt; A Parable” by John Patrick Shanley, creates doubts and mystery in readers minds that have us turning the pages, curious of what will happen next. “Doubt” creates a lot of different opinions and perspectives, and raises a lot of important discussions. You see that values play a big part in the way that we think, and the way that we see others. It blocks our perspective on people, and makes things seem very one-sided, in order to live life to it’s fullest potential you need to not just look at your own beliefs but others as well. It creates doubt in readers’ minds whether or not Father Flynn is guilty by showing us different sides of characters and making us feel uncertain about our beliefs.
Philosophy, like all other studies, aims primarily at knowledge. The knowledge it aims at is the kind of knowledge which gives unity and system to the body of the science,
Doubt; a word not many people seem to fully grasp. Many see it as hesitations equal; thinking about a choice carefully before making a decision. Doubt digs deeper than that, whereas hesitation puts the question of “should I do this” in the head, doubt puts the question of “can I do this” in the head, a much more vile and crippling question. Doubt is much more sinister and dark than other words that bear negative connotations for the simple reason that doubt doesn’t need attention or praise. Doubt much prefers to sit on the sidelines inconspicuously, letting hate and disgust take the spotlight while he stealthily pulling the strings of…what exactly? Doubts motives are not fully understood by many. Doubt is not as bold or brash as hatred, or as noxious or virulent as disgust. If doubt doesn’t act like other negative thoughts, so what exactly does doubt do? Maybe instead of introducing baleful thoughts, doubt instead prevents positive ideas from ever coming into reality. It is my understanding that doubt does not pull strings, but slashes them. Where hate would directly empowered itself, doubt would wither and disintegrate positivity, gaining power as positivity loses it. It is with this knowledge of doubt that I have constructed my own definition of it, the killer of dreams, the butcherer of success, and the drainer of confidence.