on certainty 604

604. In a court of law the statement of a physicist that water boils at about 100 degrees C. would be accepted unconditionally as truth.

If I mistrusted this statement what could I do to undermine it? Set up experiments myself? What would they prove?

whether or not the statement is accepted as unconditionally true in a court of law –

is not relevant here –

any proposition – regardless of whether it has the backing of so called ‘authorities’ –

is a proposal –

that is to say – open to question – open to doubt –

to ‘mistrust’ it – is to question the proposition –

to doubt it –

that is to say – to understand it

any experiment you perform –

will be open to question –

open to doubt –

if by ‘proof’ you mean –

reaching a conclusion that is certain –

there is no proof

© greg t.charlton. 2010.