I think recently I wrote of the impossibility of knowing a true absolute. It would require omniscience to do so, I believe. But that does not mean there are no true absolutes.
Just now, I realized that we can know a true absolute. When? Sorry for the anti-climax, but it’s when we have defined absolutes into a system. One such system would be mathematics. If a equals 5 and b equals 7, then it is an absolute certainty that the sum of a and b is 12. Syllogisms yield absolute truths as well in a similar way. If all men can reason and Joe is a man, it is an absolute certainty that Joe is a man. Or: it is absolutely certain that something said to fit a definition fits that definition.
In any event, I now decree a new hierarchy of certainties, listed here from most to least certain:
1. Philosophical Certainty (we can’t know of any)
2. Mathematical Certainty (e.g., 5 times 3 is 15)
3. Scientific Certainty (e.g., gravity keeps the moon from escaping the solar system)
4. Historical Certainty (e.g., Shakespeare wrote the works attributed to him)
5. Everyday Certainty (e.g., I watched Joe and Bucky play Ed and Marty in tennis this morning)
Each of these is certain, but a small step less certain than the one listed above it. Any of them may also be Philosophically Certain but we can never know if it is.
Have I now worked out something college freshmen are taught in Philosophy courses? It does seems painfully obvious to me. Yet I know that there are many who will find is too advanced to understand, including people who have taken more than an introductory college course in philosophy.