Unfettered reason leaves all knowledge merely provisional until further notice

Evidence

If the sphere of reason is wholly unfettered, no knowledge can rest upon an unquestioned foundation, because even the most firmly held notions can only be regarded as valid “in principle” or “until further notice.” Otherwise they would relapse into dogma and become separate from the very sphere of reason which determines what validity is in the first place. — Anthony Giddens, The Consequences of Modernity, 123

Categorization

• XREF: Directly relevant to Luhmann’s system trust — knowledge that is perpetually provisional invites delegation of certainty to institutions. — connects to: Philosophical refutations are seldom final and merely precede further refinements — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 295; The pursuit of understanding is an end in itself, and the horizon of knowledge always eludes us. — Unreachable Horizon: Philosophy of Perpetual Uncertainty; Death removes all meaning from life because it suppresses the project that awaited judgment — Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness: An Essay on…, 1256 (+1 more)

Related

• Human unfinishedness makes all knowledge necessarily provisional and incomplete (similarity 0.81)
• Philosophical refutations are seldom final and merely precede further refinements (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Philosophical refutations are seldom final and merely precede further refinements #corroborates (0.65) — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 295