BBT Week 2

Friday, August 23rd, 2013.

"What men really want is not knowledge but certainty."

-Bertrand Russell-

Can we have true certainty in the world? Why or why not?

I believe that there is no absolute certainty. Certainty is the absence of doubt, and this state is not possible to attain. There is always an underlying doubt, questioning the absolute truth or faith in a belief. In order to be absolutely certain about something, to prove something as absolutely true, we would have to prove this belief true for all cases. However, it takes one evidence to shatter this foundation of belief invalid. Furthermore, in order to have true certainty, everybody would have to have the same views, the same perspective, because it is only when everyone has the same views that there will be no doubts raised, no one to question the certainty of a belief. Personally, I would not want to live in a world where everyone shared my views. Life would be much duller, don't you think? It is our differences that create a dynamic and allow us to feel different emotions. And may I note that the simple fact that we are questioning whether true certainty exists or not exhibits that there is no absolute certainty.
I think that it is better to live in doubts, in an "eternal" quest for meaning. Our lives would be much less colorful and interesting if we knew everything, if we did not have a reason to keep on searching. "Ignorance is bliss", people say, and this axiom has much truth. We live in our own "worlds", through our perspective, the way we want to see the world. This filter of some sort is what enables us to have hope, to expect a better tomorrow. Our doubts and uncertainties allow us to have faith in our dreams. For example, if an average student knew he would not be able to attain the prodigy level of knowledge he yearns, he most likely would feel less motivated in putting effort and striving to become better.
My point: There cannot be true certainty, because there is always at least one factor that triggers a doubt. Nonetheless, there is no wrong in this uncertainty. On the contrary, it is what makes us experience different kinds of emotions and allows us to hope and dream.