Is there any certainty?
Leica M8, Elmar 4/135 at F8 (or F11). I have occasionally addressed the veracity of the old adage "the camera can't lie" [of course it can't, but we can]. From time to time, there were follow-up comments about the small matter of truth in general - usually with an underlying assumption that we can't know the truth and that all we can rely on is our own existence and our self. Myself, I would answer the question of whether there is any certainty with a resolute "I don't know".
The reason is this: if we make an exclusivist claim about truth it would require a method of verification we all can subscribe to. For example, taking my own religion, the notion that Jesus Christ is Lord is such an exclusivist claim. But I can't verify it and most people wouldn't. The same issue would arise if somebody gets up and claims that "there is no certainty". It is not simply that many people would contradict. The problem is much deeper. "There is no certainty" is an exclusivist claim assuming a position of privileged knowledge (that is, a position of certainty - exactly contradicting the claim) and, like other exclusivist claims about truth, it can't be verified. So, is there any certainty? I am not sure, but we can talk about it.
Is there any certainty?
Leica M8, Elmar 4/135 at F8 (or F11). I have occasionally addressed the veracity of the old adage "the camera can't lie" [of course it can't, but we can]. From time to time, there were follow-up comments about the small matter of truth in general - usually with an underlying assumption that we can't know the truth and that all we can rely on is our own existence and our self. Myself, I would answer the question of whether there is any certainty with a resolute "I don't know".
The reason is this: if we make an exclusivist claim about truth it would require a method of verification we all can subscribe to. For example, taking my own religion, the notion that Jesus Christ is Lord is such an exclusivist claim. But I can't verify it and most people wouldn't. The same issue would arise if somebody gets up and claims that "there is no certainty". It is not simply that many people would contradict. The problem is much deeper. "There is no certainty" is an exclusivist claim assuming a position of privileged knowledge (that is, a position of certainty - exactly contradicting the claim) and, like other exclusivist claims about truth, it can't be verified. So, is there any certainty? I am not sure, but we can talk about it.