Certainty

Certainty refers to the assurance we feel about our beliefs and knowledge. In philosophy, it connects to concepts like foundationalism, which suggests some beliefs are basic and self-evident, serving as a foundation for other beliefs. Coherentism, on the other hand, emphasizes the consistency of beliefs within a system rather than a single foundation. Testimony plays a role, too, as we often rely on others’ experiences to form our beliefs. Ultimately, certainty is about how confident we are in what we know and how that knowledge fits into our wider understanding of truth.