GRAHAM:
I think that the difference between belief and knowledge is that knowledge
requires certainty. Without certainty, all beliefs remain
as opinions (i.e. contain a measure of uncertainty).
>From the perspective of the information that can be gained sitting on a beach
watching the sun travel across the sky, the belief
that the world is flat, or that the world is round, are simply opinions.
However, when information from a reliable source arrives,
perhaps a photo taken from the moon, or a report of someone's journey around
the world, the belief that the world is round changes
its status from opinion to knowledge. Uncertainty is reduced to zero.
Of course, there is the problem of determining what is a reliable source of
information, and once you have that, of ensuring that
the information is interpreted correctly. It is so easy to get this wrong,
and this leads me to the conclusion that true knowledge
may be a more unusual commodity than we sometimes think it is. Information
sources that reduce uncertainty to zero are probably very
rare. Most of the time we have to content ourselves with shaving little bits
off here and there, and in most areas of what is
usually considered to be knowledge a high level of uncertainty remains.
Even so, I would certainly agree that every time we do that we are increasing
value, and our ability to survive/thrive/learn/etc.
ROG:
As one may expect of a fan of Pirsig and James adopting an idea called
Evolutionary Epistimology, which is an offshoot of Popper, I would be a
strong supporter of Erin's view that we are in search of the most certain
rather than totally certain knowledge. Popper strongly encourages the
falsifiability of beliefs, and that one must ensure one avoids dead ends
where a belief cannot be self negated. Interestingly, Popper's ultimate
argument rests on something similar to James' pragmatism -- that the value of
a belief is in the results it produces (including its correspondence with
experience and other beliefs).
I am liking the certainty angle less and less.
Rog
(what happenned to Ross?)
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