Description
, or when evidence for and against is balanced, [positive doubt]
. Ethics distinguishes further, between [speculative doubt]
- objective morality, is a particular action intrinsically moral or not; and [practical doubt]
- is the performance of this particular action in this particular situation moral or not ? According to Descartes, certitude can only be established by first subjecting every proposition to doubt, although there is discussion whether this is necessary if an assumption of the contradiction of a proposition is impossible to entertain - [fictitious doubt]
- such as to the proposition "I exist". If doubt is accepted as the outcome of inquiry, this is referred to as [scepticism]
.
In theological terms, doubt is distinguished from questioning, suggesting that doubt is the deliberate suspension of assent to knowledge whose import and basis are known. This doubting state may be due to an interior attitude which prevents complete recognition of revelation as the word of God or suspends previous judgement.