Introduction to Critical Rationalism

[actually_thinking]

@ActiveMind

Why does identification imply certainty? I think Popperians would call any identification a guess and say that it could be knowledge.

To identify something is to say what it is. For instance, a rock. Saying that it is a rock is synonymous with saying it is true it is a rock and also that it is certain that it is a rock. Its identity is a rock. Does CR say that these statements are different? 1. It is a rock. 2. It has the identity of a rock. 3. It is certain that it is a rock. 4. It is true that it is a rock. To me, all four sentences say the same thing.

@Elliot

Would you agree that whether we have certainty depends on how you define “certainty”? We can have some definitions of “certainty” and can’t have others?

I acknowledge different levels of certainty, of course. This is not exhaustive but some things could be clear and convincing, others could be beyond a reasonable doubt, and others could be 100% absolutely certain. For example, I am 100% absolutely certain that I am alive right now, as well as a lot of other things.