Epistemology

The Possibility of Knowledge

If certainty is unattainable, must we suspend judgment entirely, or may we still follow the probable?

Positions

  1. Academic Fallibilism

    When certainty is unavailable, critically examined persuasive impressions can guide rational inquiry and action without being treated as knowledge.

    Held by Academic Skepticism

  2. Pyrrhonian Suspension

    For every claim an equally strong opposing claim can be found, so one should suspend judgment (epoché) on all matters beyond how things appear.

    Held by Pyrrhonism

Methods used to investigate this question

Discussion

Ancient skeptics agreed that certainty is beyond reach but split over what follows. The radical Pyrrhonist finds the arguments on every question evenly balanced and so suspends judgment altogether, living by appearances without belief. The Academic grants that nothing can be grasped with certainty yet holds that impressions differ in how persuasive they are, so the reasonable person may act on the most persuasive without claiming knowledge.

The dispute is at one scope — how far to press the impossibility of certainty — so the two answers are genuine rivals. Skepticism aimed narrowly at whether a mind-independent world can be known is a distinct question, treated under Knowledge of the External World.

References