on certainty 551

551. And if one does answer this question, one must do so according to generally accepted axioms. This is how something of this sort may be known.

 

‘generally accepted axioms’ –

that is generally accepted self-evident truths –

a self-evident proposition –

is one that is not open to question –

is not open to doubt

in fact there is no such proposition –

and to talk of self-evident propositions –

is to misuse and corrupt the notion of proposition

a proposition is a proposal –

any proposal – is open to question – open to doubt

as for truth –

truth is not a immanent property of any proposition

the truth value of a proposition –

is ‘determined’ – by our behaviour towards it –

if we assent to it – it is true –

if we dissent from it – it is false

© greg t. charlton. 2010.