From: Randall Parker 

In , the sagacious bobcomer{at}mindspring.com
Robert Comer perspicated:
> So how do you account for the things that we know for certain at one time
> and then later discover that it was our own lack of knowledge that led us to
> an invalid conclusion?

Your point is well taken. I can remember the first time that had this
pattern of conversation (probably the winter of 78) where I was on your
side of it. I was making this point to someone who was absolutely certain
that various key beliefs she held were correct and at the same time she
admitted that her previous beliefs that she had since amended had also
previously been viewed by her as absolutely correct.

You have to be real careful about what you label as certainties. I think
the problem is that people don't want to have beliefs that they are
uncertain about. Its discomforting to think that one is making to many
decisions about one's life based on beliefs that might not be correct.

I don't know who Brendan Dooley is/was but a guy who posts a lot on
sci.life-extension has this rather good signature line:
  "Belief is the Achilles heel of science" - Brendan Dooley

I think the best way of thinking about some aspects of knowledge is that it
is more a set of approximations than final truths. So Isaac Newton wasn't
wrong when he thought up classical mechanics. Its more like he came up with
a better approximation of the truth. Now, if he thought he'd come up with
the exact description of the truth he was wrong. But if he just found it a
useful theory and a better approximation then he was right.

You can know enough about some approximations and the reasons for those
approximations so that you can at least recognize that they are
approximations and yet be able to use them to know with certainty a number
of other alternative explanations are just totally wrong.

> - Bob Comer
>
> p.s. and just what is a rational mind anyway -- something based on our
> current knowledge, or absolute truth?  My take is only on current knowledge,
> so yes indeed, we cannot be absolutely certain of anything.

Are you absolutely certain that it is not possible to be absolutely certain
of anything?

Or, to put it another way, who are these people who are going around with
such certainty proclaiming the nonexistence or the impotence of the
rational mind? What exactly are they using to come to that conclusion?

>  If you say it's
> on absolute truth, just how do you presume to know the absolute truth?

Well, who's going to tell me I'm wrong and be certain about it?

--- BBBS/NT v4.01 Flag-5