Increments #86 (Reaction) - On Confidence and Evidence: Reacting to Brett Hall and Peter Boghossian (Part 2)
May 31, 2025
Brett Hall and Peter Boghossian dive into the intricacies of confidence and evidence. Hall, a speaker in street epistemology, presents a fallibilist view on knowledge while Boghossian discusses rational decision-making and trust. They explore how confidence is interwoven with personal beliefs and scientific inquiry, emphasizing that confidence doesn't equal truth. The conversation also touches on moral reasoning, the challenges of defining knowledge, and the implicit knowledge conveyed through emotions. Expect thought-provoking insights and lively discourse!
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Personal Gaza Tragedy Story
- Vaden shares a personal story about his friend Izzy's tragic loss of nine children in Gaza.
- This highlights the importance of empathy and dialogue across disagreements, especially in conflict situations.
Confidence Without Numbers
- Confidence rankings don't require numeric precision to be meaningful.
- People intuitively rank beliefs like cheating and the world being round with varying confidence.
Confidence as Imperfect Signal
- Confidence is valuable but flawed; it should be weighted along with stakes in decision-making.
- Absolute numerical confidence is unhelpful; signaling weakness in arguments aids critical discussion.
