Dualism: Certainty Vs Doubt

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Cory Leonoudakis
2. Dualism
Phil 201
Dr. Scott Kinder-Pyle

Certainty vs. Doubt
If every thing in existence were known to be certain there would be a complete absence of doubt. However, this notion of complete certainty is impossible as the presence of doubt is necessary for certainty to exist. This concept also remains unfeasible for the same reason that both absolute truth and perfection are unattainable. In the implausible case of a universe being totally void of doubt, together, experience, emotion, and, all other remaining aspects would exist in perfection. This circumstance of an entirely perfected universe also is damaging to the soul, as a person living in this sort of environment would be prevented from living a life of fulfillment …show more content…

Both certainty and doubt are among the most important elements in which make up the human soul. The feeling of doubt should be welcomed with open arms since a healthy balance between each ends of this emotional spectrum is required in order for the soul to function most efficiently.
For example, an investment banker is more likely to receive a return on his or her investment if they pay attention to rising suspicions and apply doubt as a tool through which they can assess the possibility of failure. However, a banker who chooses to invest his or her money without acknowledging the possibility of failure, is much more likely to suffer a loss in capital. Through extension, the banker who is statistically more successful due to their application of doubt proves skepticism as more of a good rather than something that is undesirable.
One may move from doubt towards certainty through the acquisition of new information, but who is to say that said information is for certain? Although the utter truth of all things remains unknown, doubting everything down to the most minor aspects of life is unhealthy for both the mind and soul. If every little thing in a person’s life were to be doubted, including his or her own thought, the individual would constantly be lost in unending confusion. This is similar to Rene Descartes’ theory of Cartesian Dualism, in which he

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