'For the person or persons that hold dominion, can no more combine with the keeping up of majesty the running with harlots drunk or naked about the streets, or the performances of a stage player, or the open violation or contempt of laws passed by themselves than they can combine existence with non-existence'.

- Benedict de Spinoza. Political Treatise. 1677.




Saturday, October 17, 2009

on certainty 130


130. But isn’t it experience that teaches us to judge like this, that is to say, that it is correct to judge like this? But how does experience teach us, then? We may derive it from experience, but experience does not direct us to derive anything from experience. If it is the ground of our judging like this, and not the cause, still we do not have a ground for seeing this in turn as a ground.



experience is uncertain –

in order to proceed –

in the face of uncertainty –

we make judgments –

we make decisions

the ‘ground’ of our judgments –

is uncertainty

our judgments –

are uncertain


© greg t. charlton. 2009.