on certainty 339

339.  Imagine someone who is supposed to fetch a friend from the railway station and doesn’t simply look the train up in the time-table and go to the station at the right time, but says: “I have no belief that the train will really arrive, but I will go to the station all the same.” He does everything that the normal person does, but accompanies it with doubts or self-annoyance, etc.

I may expect that the train will arrive – but I don’t know that it will

my expectation will – in terms of knowledge – be groundless

nevertheless it is what I operate with –

timetables may reinforce my expectation – but they do not make the train’s arrival – more probable or certain

‘he does everything that the normal person does, but accompanies it with doubts or self-annoyance, etc.’

I would suggest he does what others do – without the pretense of knowledge –

without the delusion of certainty

© greg t. charlton. 2010.