on certainty 369

16.3.51

369. If I wanted to doubt if this was my hand, how could I avoid doubting whether the word “hand” has any meaning? So that it is something that I seem to know after all.

any language use is open to question –

open to doubt

i.e. in certain contexts –  scientific – artistic – philosophic –

the appropriateness – the usefulness – of the description –

‘this is my hand’ –

or the appropriateness or usefulness of the word –

‘hand’ –

might be called into question

it would be unusual –

but you could question whether a word has any meaning

doing a crossword puzzle may raise this question

‘something that I seem to know after all’ –

‘seeming to know’ – is hardly being certain

if seeming to know –

is what ‘know’ amounts to –

to know is to be uncertain

© greg t. charlton. 2010.