DOUBT

Doubt is a a specific cognitive and physical behavior commonly associated with argumentative situations, generally accompanied by a feeling of discomfort.

— As a psychological state, doubt implies discomfort and apprehension, see explanation; emotion. Argumentation is a costly and time-consuming activity, from the cognitively, emotionally and interactionally. Non-argumentative individuals are reluctant to engage in an argumentative situations, where they will have to face the resistance from the other party.

— At the cognitive level, to doubt is to be in a state of suspended assent to a proposition, or a state of indecision about what to do.

— From a linguistic point of view, doubtful propositions are formulated by the speaker, without affirmation or denial. In Goffman’s terms, the speaker is, at most, the « author » of the proposition, not the ‘principal’; the speaker is not committed to the statement, see roles.

— From an interactional point of view, a turn of speech is doubted if it is neither ratified nor openly rejected by the interlocutor, see disagreement; question. Such rejection cannot remain unfounded and reservations must be justified, by presenting arguments in support of an alternative point of view, or by refuting the reasons given in support of the original proposal.

— In a full-blown argumentative situation, neither party necessarily assumes doubt. One party may be absolutely certain of the truth and validity of their argument, and argue in perfectly good faith that P is true or the right thing to do, meanwhile the other party may be certain that it is not the true. A third party takes on the doubt.

Dialogue outsources these different operations by giving them specific linguistic forms and microsocial configurations.

Argumentative Doubt, Cartesian Doubt, Skeptical doubt

Argumentative doubt is opposed to Cartesian doubt. Descartes rejects “all such merely probable knowledge and makes it a rule to trust only what is fully known and incapable of being doubted » ([1628], Rule II; Geach). He establishes a system of certain beliefs on the basis of the only absolute certainty, the cogito: “I think, therefore I am.”. This type of doubt is opposed to skeptical doubt:

Cartesian doubt does not consist of floating, uncertainly, between affirmation and negation. Rather, it clearly shows that what is in doubt is either false, or not self-evident enough to be true. Skeptical doubt regards uncertainty as the normal state of thought. However, Descartes, regards it as a disease to be cured. Even when considering the arguments of the skeptics ,he does so with a spirit quite opposite to theirs. (Gilson, Note 1, p. 85. to Descartes [1637])