Relationship Between Doubt And Certainty

Philosopher’s musings or debates can sometimes in fact span decades. One such philosopher’s debate is the relationship between doubt and certainty. William Lyon Phelps believed that with certainty you could accomplish almost anything. On the other hand and a stark contrast to Phelps, Bertrand Russell was of the sound mind that no one should be certain of anything, even their own opinions. While both intelligent minds bring up good points in their own respective way, both fail to recognize the complex, intricate system that makes up the human mind. It simply doesn’t have to be an either-or situation. Doubt doesn’t have to be the absence of certainty and vice versa, rather both can be joined resulting in a harmonious pairing.

Many will argue that to ever succeed in life that one must be certain and that certainty is a sign of strength. It is also a common …show more content…
When making a big decision, such as picking out a car or house you must be certain of what you want and continuously doubt if you are getting a good deal and if you truly want it. But, then you must be confident when you make the final decision to be able to carry through with purchasing either your car or house. Having confidence doesn’t mean you have no doubts, it just means that you choose to take action. Much like scientists do. Alexander Graham Bell wasn’t certain that his idea of a telephone would work, but he had the confidence to try it out and the sense to doubt that such an invention would actually ever work. As it turned out, his idea proved to be true and only then was he certain. Using this example, it is safe to say to certainty is based on fact, with little to no room for errors. So, unlike the human’s mind which is housed in an imperfect body easily swayed by society and chemical factors. Things change so nothing is truly certain. Much like scientists do, one should aim for