on certainty 460

460. I go to the doctor, shew him my hand and say “This is a hand, not…; I’ve injured it etc., etc.” Am I only giving him a piece of superfluous information? For example, mightn’t one say: supposing the words “This is a hand” were a piece of information – how could you bank on him understanding this information? Indeed, it is open to doubt ‘whether that is a hand’, why isn’t it open to doubt whether I am a human being who is informing the human being of this? – But on the other hand one can imagine cases – even if they are very rare ones – where the declaration is not superfluous, or is only superfluous but not absurd.

you cannot ‘bank on’ on him understanding –

fair enough to assume that he will –

but here we are talking about assumption –

not certainty – and assumption is uncertain –

it is open to doubt whether this is a hand –

and whether I am a human being informing another human being –

any of these matters can be the subject of doubt –

whether or not they will be –

is uncertain

© greg t. charlton. 2010.