COULD YOU BE WRONG ABOUT EVERYTHING YOU CLAIM TO KNOW?
Prerequisite: Necessity Vs Truth, The Problem With Knowledge
First, we should remove the word "know" from this question, in order to stay clear of the problem of knowledge. We can now address the key word, "claim", which we can replace with "believe is true". We now have, "Could you be wrong about everything you believe is true?".
If I believe something is true, then it is a consequence of some form of justification. Should I believe something is true, and I come to believe it is false, then I would consider that I was "wrong" about my initial belief, and thus my previous justifications were unwarranted. I now believe that I should have believed that X was false, instead of true. I can be "wrong" because the contrary to a belief must be coherent, which is to say that it "can be the case". One can not be "wrong" regarding necessities, as it "must be the case" due to the incoherence of the contrary.
The question is, "Is it possible that all that I believe is true, I should believe is false?". Since the contrary to truth values "can be the case", then in theory, I could be "wrong" about all of my beliefs, by necessity. It would be incoherent for a truth value, that by definition has a possible contrary, to also have a contrary that is impossible. It should be noted that it does not follow from this that everything I "believe is true" should be "believed as false", or is "false".
One may ask to this, "Then why should I listen to anything you have to say?". This is to say, "If everything you believe is true could be something you should have believed is false, why should I trust that any of your beliefs are true?". This question suggests that one can offer truth that "must be the case", which is in contradiction to what a truth is. Truth is not something one can possess, let alone disseminate. One does not "give" or "get" truth. One can possess and offer what they believe is true and the justification for it. The belief may be true or it may be false, but that is not determined by what someone thinks or "says". Depending on the justification, one can proportion their confidence in the content of the belief they received to determine if they "believe it to be true or false" themselves.
August 2019
First, we should remove the word "know" from this question, in order to stay clear of the problem of knowledge. We can now address the key word, "claim", which we can replace with "believe is true". We now have, "Could you be wrong about everything you believe is true?".
If I believe something is true, then it is a consequence of some form of justification. Should I believe something is true, and I come to believe it is false, then I would consider that I was "wrong" about my initial belief, and thus my previous justifications were unwarranted. I now believe that I should have believed that X was false, instead of true. I can be "wrong" because the contrary to a belief must be coherent, which is to say that it "can be the case". One can not be "wrong" regarding necessities, as it "must be the case" due to the incoherence of the contrary.
The question is, "Is it possible that all that I believe is true, I should believe is false?". Since the contrary to truth values "can be the case", then in theory, I could be "wrong" about all of my beliefs, by necessity. It would be incoherent for a truth value, that by definition has a possible contrary, to also have a contrary that is impossible. It should be noted that it does not follow from this that everything I "believe is true" should be "believed as false", or is "false".
One may ask to this, "Then why should I listen to anything you have to say?". This is to say, "If everything you believe is true could be something you should have believed is false, why should I trust that any of your beliefs are true?". This question suggests that one can offer truth that "must be the case", which is in contradiction to what a truth is. Truth is not something one can possess, let alone disseminate. One does not "give" or "get" truth. One can possess and offer what they believe is true and the justification for it. The belief may be true or it may be false, but that is not determined by what someone thinks or "says". Depending on the justification, one can proportion their confidence in the content of the belief they received to determine if they "believe it to be true or false" themselves.
August 2019
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