CERTAINTY
Certainty
is a perfect knowledge that
has total security from error, or the mental state of being without doubt,
and in short, certainty is the
acceptance of a fact without doubt. It is a level of confidence attributed to
particular knowledge. We are certain when we know something is true, and have
no doubts. The term "degrees of certainty" is used to describe how
close we are to being certain. Certainty, though, is the upper limit. It is the
state where no more doubts exist.
When
should one be certain? When all knowledge supports the conclusion, and none
denies it. If one has a valid reason for doubting something, one should not be
certain. If one, for instance, knows there are facts that are unknown, and
important in validating the knowledge, one should not be certain. If, however,
one believes that all of the relevant information is known, and it all points
to the knowledge being true, one should be certain.
Certainty
is contextual. It is based on one's current knowledge. It is possible to be
certain, and still be wrong. Human beings are not omniscient. They can form
conclusions, but there is the possibility of error. Humans need knowledge,
though, and need a basis for accepting knowledge as true. They cannot live
constantly doubting every piece of knowledge. To survive, they must be able to
accept knowledge as true, and act accordingly.
The
term certainty is often used to describe knowledge without the possibility of
doubt. This is omniscience. It is an improper use of the term. Certainty could
have no meaning when applied to an omniscient being, since it wouldn't have the
capacity for doubt. It only has meaning when applied to human beings. Its
meaning allows the possibility of error, but the contextual lack of doubt.
