on certainty 19

19. The statement “I know that here is a hand” may then be continued: “for it is my hand that I’m looking at”. Then a reasonable man will not doubt that I know. – Nor will the idealist; rather he will say that he was not dealing with the practical doubt which is being dismissed, but there is a further doubt behind that one. – That this is an illusion has to be shewn in a different way.

‘for it is my hand that I am looking at ‘ –

is really just a piece of rhetoric –

as indeed – is the claim to ‘know’ –

if you drop all the rhetoric here –

all the persuasion –

what you have is the basic statement –

‘here is my hand’ –

the statement is not certain –

it is open to question – it is open to doubt –

but at least it is honest –

and it comes without –

irrelevant and misleading baggage

the claim –‘that this is an illusion’ –

really just focuses our attention –

on the fact that reality –

can be and is –

variously described –

and understood

© greg t. charlton. 2009.