28th Annual Student Research Conference
Between the Brackets
Tia A. Sarkar
Dr. Chad Mohler, Faculty Mentor
Doubt plagues us all. For Rene Descartes, doubt was such a powerful and pervasive notion that he believed our ability to think was all we could be truly certain of. While feelings of doubt may never be eliminated, epistemic rationality can be achieved nonetheless. This paper explores notions of bracketing perceptions. Bracketing perceptions allows an individual to assess a scenario through their own unique view of the world. This assessment is usually completed instantaneously and then revisited for accuracies later on. Bracketing perceptions incorporates a compromise between the weary views of the skeptic and the blind faith of dogmatism in an effort to attain truth. Moreover, bracketing perceptions utilizes models like Expected Utility Theory in order to ensure maximum benefits. In the end, doubt may never leave the minds of the masses, but that doesnt mean it has to prevail.
Keywords: Bracket, Perception, Doubt, Truth
Topic(s):Philosophy & Religion
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 106-2
Location: MG 2050
Time: 9:00