If People Claim That They Are Not Infallible, Then How Can They Have Real Beliefs?

Infallibility: A Mistaken Concept

A person's assumption that they are not infallible is not based on systematic calculation of his own mistakes; rather, it is based on certain facts that he has observed, which leads him to make certain predictions.

Firstly, a person realizes in his perception of other individuals, that all people make mistakes, and therefore assumes that the same applies for himself. This proof manifests itself in all as aspects of life. A student in Calculus class furiously raises his hand, eager to provide what he believes to undoubtedly be the correct answer, when he is proven to be wrong. A businesswoman finds herself on the wrong subway train, although she was certain she was going in the right direction. The discovery that the earth was round, disproved people who had vehemently believed that it was flat. Everyday, one can observe many mistakes, whether minor or major, being made by humans. This proves the reality, that in our world mistakes do occur on a regular basis. Since most people include themselves in the typical behavior of the human race, they will consider themselves likely to produce errors in their life, even though they are unable to predict what those specific errors will be.

Secondly, a person makes predictions based on his own past, in which he has made mistakes, and assumes that he will continue to err in his beliefs, although at any given moment he is unable to pinpoint any specific error in his thinking. When people say that they're not infallible, they really mean it, but in an abstract sense. If they were to be questioned about each specific belief, they would insist whole-heartedly that it was correct, but this does not contradict the notion that they are not infallible....

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...serve that their peers hold their own views with equal strength, which often contradict one another. An umbrella defense mechanism for one's own pride is to put a disclaimer on all of one's beliefs that there is a possibility that they are mistaken. This is merely a nominal statement, and all the parties involved are aware that the person is not actually pointing out his own faults. This approach, however, creates the same paradox, because one would not need to create a defense mechanism against being wrong if he truly believed that he was right!

In conclusion, people do not contradict themselves when they say they are not infallible, because they are not applying this statement in whole to every aspect of their being, rather there are certain circumstances and ramifications in which it applies, and certain causes that spur a person to agree with this statement.