to me the problem is that you can never be sure you know everything, since you can always ask "is there something we are missing?", and the answer has to be, by definition "we don't know".
in practical terms it doesn't really mean much since we can get by just fine by doing "what works", but in theoretical terms I don't think you can ever be sure that you have learned everything, that you haven't missed something that would change your understanding of things, and in that sense, you can never be sure of the truth of what you know, so you are forced to remain sceptical about it
bonEzz_1 t1_j6xonf6 wrote
Reply to comment by VitriolicViolet in How to be a sceptic | We have an ethical responsibility to adopt a sceptical attitude to everything from philosophy and science to economics and history in the pursuit of a good life for ourselves and others. by IAI_Admin
to me the problem is that you can never be sure you know everything, since you can always ask "is there something we are missing?", and the answer has to be, by definition "we don't know".
in practical terms it doesn't really mean much since we can get by just fine by doing "what works", but in theoretical terms I don't think you can ever be sure that you have learned everything, that you haven't missed something that would change your understanding of things, and in that sense, you can never be sure of the truth of what you know, so you are forced to remain sceptical about it