Certainty

To be absolutely certain about something, one must know everything or nothing about it.

Originally posted by 667joe
To be absolutely certain about something, one must know everything or nothing about it.

Certainly.

Originally posted by 667joe
To be absolutely certain about something, one must know everything or nothing about it.

We humans are a fearful lot

Originally posted by karoly aczel
We humans are a fearful lot

THere is nothing to fear, but fear itself.....wait a second, thats just plain stupid isn't it? 😛 I will add, we are also a plain stupid lot.

Originally posted by whodey
THere is nothing to fear, but fear itself.....wait a second, thats just plain stupid isn't it? 😛 I will add, we are also a plain stupid lot.

😀 ...your alright!

Originally posted by 667joe
To be absolutely certain about something, one must know everything or nothing about it.

I disagree. I am absolutely certain this post contains the letter 'z'

1) I know that this response is a post; hence I know more than nothing about "this post contains the letter 'z'"
2) I do not know *precisely* (in terms of cm and mm) where the first 'z' occurs relative to the top left corner of my viewable screen; hence I know less than everything about "this post contains the letter 'z'"

🙂

Originally posted by Agerg
I disagree. I am absolutely certain this post contains the letter 'z'

1) I know that this response is a post; hence I know more than nothing about "this post contains the letter 'z'"
2) I do not know [b]*precisely* (in terms of cm and mm) where the first 'z' occurs relative to the top left corner of my viewable screen; hence I know less than everything about "this post contains the letter 'z'"

🙂[/b]

Actually, when you typed your response, you didn't really 'know' anything about how it would appear; you simply assumed all would go as planned, as well as assumed how it would appear to any one else viewing it.

Originally posted by FreakyKBH
Actually, when you typed your response, you didn't really 'know' anything about how it would appear; you simply assumed all would go as planned, as well as assumed how it would appear to any one else viewing it.

Perhaps, but what one writes here becomes a post only once it has been posted. So to say I know this post has a 'z' in it makes sense only once it has been posted.

It has now been posted, and so when the 667joe looks in on this thread (which will be after I posted it); it will be at a time when I am absolutely certain it contains a 'z'

🙂

Originally posted by Agerg
Perhaps, but what one writes here becomes a post only once it has been posted. So to say I know this [b]post has a 'z' in it makes sense only once it has been posted.

It has now been posted, and so when the 667joe looks in on this thread (which will be after I posted it); it will be at a time when I am absolutely certain it contains a 'z'

🙂[/b]

I see you know of what you speak! (which is more than I can say for the theists who participate in this forum.)

Originally posted by Agerg
Perhaps, but what one writes here becomes a post only once it has been posted. So to say I know this [b]post has a 'z' in it makes sense only once it has been posted.

It has now been posted, and so when the 667joe looks in on this thread (which will be after I posted it); it will be at a time when I am absolutely certain it contains a 'z'

🙂[/b]

But your post was in the present tense, and when you wrote it, that certainty was heavily dependent upon the future.

Originally posted by FreakyKBH
But your post was in the present tense, and when you wrote it, that certainty was heavily dependent upon the future.

That's why I acknowledged your response with "perhaps".

However even though one might argue it wasn't a valid statement before I posted it (for reasons pertaining both to your objection and the fact it wasn't a post at that stage) it is certainly a post now (as I suspected it would be)...and by inspection we see it has a 'z'.

🙂