The point is to refine the wrong question about certainties 2 into a better question about probabilistic knowledge 2′. If you just want to get an answer to 2 - then this answer is ‘no’. We can’t be certain that our knowledge is true. Then again, neither we need to.
If your question is how it’s different from cyclical reasoning then consider the difference:
Evolution produced my brain that discovered evolution. After I’ve considered this thought I’m now certain in both of them and so case closed. No more arguments or evidence can ever persuade me otherwise.
I can never be certain of anything but to the best of my knowledge the situation looks exactly the way it would looked if my brain was produced by evolution which allowed my brain to discover evolution. I’ll be on lookout for counter-evidence, because maybe everything I know is a lie, but for now on a full reflection of my knowledge, including techniques of rationality and notions of simplicity and computational complexity, this seems to be the most plausible hypothesis.
No offense. This sounds rather trivial, and like you’re sidestepping rather than answering the question.
I have some story for how my mind knows things.
I’m justified in believing (1) is true
Of course (1) might be true. The problem is you can’t know that. Like you said
And yeah, you can bump it up meta levels. Which also doesn’t solve the issue.
The point is to refine the wrong question about certainties 2 into a better question about probabilistic knowledge 2′. If you just want to get an answer to 2 - then this answer is ‘no’. We can’t be certain that our knowledge is true. Then again, neither we need to.
If your question is how it’s different from cyclical reasoning then consider the difference:
Evolution produced my brain that discovered evolution. After I’ve considered this thought I’m now certain in both of them and so case closed. No more arguments or evidence can ever persuade me otherwise.
I can never be certain of anything but to the best of my knowledge the situation looks exactly the way it would looked if my brain was produced by evolution which allowed my brain to discover evolution. I’ll be on lookout for counter-evidence, because maybe everything I know is a lie, but for now on a full reflection of my knowledge, including techniques of rationality and notions of simplicity and computational complexity, this seems to be the most plausible hypothesis.