Is Anything Certain? Essay -- Philosophy, Unger, Hitherto

Peter Unger maintains that all knowledge requires originalty. Moreover, since he insists that nothing digest be kn feature for certain, Unger concludes that nobody perpetually knows anything to be so (Unger, 42). This is Ungers argument1.If someone knows something to be so, then it is all right for the person to be absolutely certain that it is so (42).2.It is never all right for anyone to be absolutely certain that anything is so (43).3.Therefore, nobody ever knows that anything is so (43).Succinctly, nobody can know anything. As anything makes explicit, Unger suggests that we cannot have knowledge of our own existence, external objects, past or present experiences or even that 1+1=2.He also insists that knowing anything with demonstration is inherently dogmatic. Being certain involves a negative place it implies that nothing (new information, evidence or experience) will be seriously considered to be at all relevant to any manageable change in ones thinking in the matter (44). Unger defines this as the attitude of consequence. This is why it is wrong for anyone to be absolutely certain. I agree with Unger and concede that (2) is correct.However, Ungers rejection to the attitude of certainty leads to the rejection of all knowledge. This is where Unger is an error. I intend to argue that premise (1) is dubious and that knowledge requires justified true teaching but never certainty itself.Before continuing, I must clarify Ungers notion of certainty. Hitherto, I have used Ungers notion of certainty (denoted in italics) without explanation. Certain is an absolute adjective analogous to the concept of flat. An absolute adjective is or is not. A board, for example, is flat iff it lacks any changes in gradi... ...ngers premier premise).2.Knowledge is justified belief with confidence.3.Being confident, but not certain, allows for changes in opinion/belief in the face of new information and experiences (avoiding Ungers attitude of certainty).4.Kn owledge with confidence, but being susceptible to new information is not dogmatic.5.People can know things with confidence without being dogmatic.6.Therefore, people can justifiably and confidently know that some things are so.The above argument allows for things to be known but in a non-dogmatic manner. Although, knowledge with confidence (but not certainty) can be considered a weak sense of knowledge, it avoids the skeptical conclusion while also avoiding Ungers attitude of certainty. With the ability to amend and modify justified beliefs (knowledge), certainty is inherently absent from this notion of knowledge.