Because perception is not absolute, all of our ideas are somewhat conjectural and inferential🧠
On the face of it, once we acknowledge that the brain’s perceptual systems actively and pre-consciously interpret and edit their input, there seems to be no escape from an at least partial model agnosticism and a recognition that all ideas are somewhat conjectural and inferitial. If perception is not absolute, then no deduction from perception can be absolute. No matter how ingeniously one juggles with approximations, they do not magically become certainties; at best, they only become the most accurate approximations.
Aristotle escaped this conclusion, and until recently, most philosophers and scientists have followed. They’ve done so by asserting or assuming or hoping that some method exists whereby the uncertanty of perception can be transended and we can arrive at certitude about general principles.
References
- Wilson, A., Robert (1986). The New Inquisition Chapter 1 Models, Metaphors, and Idols (Page 11 · Location 208). Grand Junction, Colorado: Hilaritas Press
Metadata
Type:🔴 Tags: Philosophy / Epistemology / Ontology / Semantics / Psychology Status:☀️