Quote Originally Posted by Heartless Angel View Post
I generally identify knowledge and absolue certainty as one in the same, I tend to use the word belief for anything lacking in certainty. Certainty is unobtainable, therefore using the words as I do, knowledge is unobtainable. I think of it like building a building. If I have a plot purchased, I don't have a foundation laid, so I can't start building the actual building yet. I have a theoretical foundation to begin planning my building to fit, but a theoretical building is all I can have as long as I only have a theoretical foundation. If the fundamental belief upon which all my other beliefs rely is uncertain, so then are all my other beliefs. If I can't have a certain foundation, I can't have a certain building That they aren't certain doesn't mean I don't bother to think about my other non fundamental beliefs by any means, there are definitely times and places for pragmatism, they're just few and far between in my life, because I'm far more interested in absolute certainty.
You recognize absolute certainty doesnt exist, yet you are interested in it. The way you view knowledge as being absolute certainty i dont tend to agree with; Ill use your example.
If your beliefs allowed you lay the foundations for theoertical building, the building became a success and was everything you expected as a success, wouldn't the end result mean you have aquired the knowledge that your original belifs were correct? If everything has worked out the way you had planned, even though you were uncertain, the end result being a success would mean that you could be certain that those views were likely to be correct in the first place? Why are you interested in absolute certainty? Do you think that kind of knowledge is useful?