Re: Certainty and Personal Confidence, Descartes and Hume.
 

This is a great example I think. I'm not sure I understand it... Is the guy saying "Frankfurt" supposed to be simply speaking outside the realm of possibility? That doesn't make the other guy correct!

Wouldn't this then call into question the possibility of such facts being “facts?”? Barring all other info: both are disqualified for BSing. Any idea for which empirical evidence cannot be presented falls under the category of True Opinion. Anyone claiming to have a 100% correct TO exposes themselves as a liar, and if these are the only options available, then the answer to "How does one pronounce "Louisville"" is "ANSWER UNDEFINED" or DOES NOT COMPUTE. There is an accepted answer but not a 100% factual one. Many "Facts" fall under this category and all Philosophical one's do. Anyone who claims to _know_ 100% the answer to any Philosophical question including "Do I Exist"? is full of beans.

I'm not being a relativist, I just believe zealously in doubt. OR as Soren K. put it: Angst.

I’m not sure how my statements bear on your original question because honestly I couldn’t really figure out what you were asking.

Re: Certainty and Personal Confidence, Descartes and Hume.
 

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I’m not sure how my statements bear on your original question because honestly I couldn’t really figure out what you were asking.

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Go look up what the capitol of Kentucky is, then reread the example. That should make the point much clearer. My father and grandfather would surely get a chuckle out of this.

Re: Certainty and Personal Confidence, Descartes and Hume.
 

Is this another example of what you are saying:

1) I can figure out in my head (or even on paper) the exact moves to finish a Rubiks’ cube. When I finish, even if I feel confident I did it right, I might still have some doubt.

2) If instead, I actually make all the moves that were in my head (or on paper) and get all the colors lined up - I am without doubt.

I want the same certainty in #1 that I feel in #2. How can I measure the difference?

Or it there is no difference, without a metric - who would believe me (how can I even be certain myself without the metric)?

Or maybe a more personal example - how certain were you that you aced the SAT after the test but before the results. If you had felt and told me you knew you aced it - should I have believed you?

Re: Certainty and Personal Confidence, Descartes and Hume.
 

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Is this another example of what you are saying:

1) I can figure out in my head (or even on paper) the exact moves to finish a Rubiks’ cube. When I finish, even if I feel confident I did it right, I might still have some doubt.

2) If instead, I actually make all the moves that were in my head (or on paper) and get all the colors lined up - I am without doubt.

I want the same certainty in #1 that I feel in #2. How can I measure the difference?

Or it there is no difference, without a metric - who would believe me (how can I even be certain myself without the metric)?

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I think if we modify this so that you get into a heated argument with someone over the validity of one of the moves, that's the sort of situation we're interested in. I want to know who's more likely correct, so I start asking you guys about any tests you may have taken that deal with spatial reasoning skills, or if you've read a book on rubik's cube, or if you're an avid puzzle solver, etc. I'm sure there are plenty of things I'm missing that would help clue us in to who's right.

Moving over to philosophy now, what are some qualifications you'd look for in someone who deserves confidence in their certainties?

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Or maybe a more personal example - how certain were you that you aced the SAT after the test but before the results. If you had felt and told me you knew you aced it - should I have believed you?

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I would say that I was certain enough that barring an error in filling out the answer sheet, I had aced it. I wasn't particularly surprised when I got the results. Given a history of test results, etc, I think anyone who knew me would have been confident in my assessment as well. (note: I want to downplay the chest-thumping here. acing the SAT and SAT II math tests is not a particularly great accomplishment if you're math-inclined and don't freak out during tests. I would guess that a large majority of my classmates (engineers at Berkeley) could claim as much.)

Re: Certainty and Personal Confidence, Descartes and Hume.
 

I fold.