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    Published : 2026-09-30
    Vol. 74 No. 3 (2026)

    The Person’s Path to Certitude

    Jan Kłos

    https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8043-3820

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.18290/rf26743.2

    Abstract

    This article presents John Henry Newman’s thought as an attempt to show a person’s path toward certainty, understood not only as the result of formal reasoning, but above all as an inner state of a person who “knows that he knows.” Newman emphasizes the limited, partial nature of the specific sciences and the role of philosophy and religion in integrating their findings into a broader vision of reality. Of key importance here is the unity of intellectual and moral cognition, expressed in the decisions made by the person as a whole, guided by conscience. Human cognition is based on the accumulation of probabilities, encompassing both explicit data and implicit experiences, and its limitations can be transcended through inner certitude and an attitude of faith. Ultimately, Newman’s concept of certitude reveals the image of an integrated person, capable of maintaining identity and inner stability in the face of a changing world.

    Keywords:

    formal certainty, personal certitude, mathematics, person, accumulation of probabilities, formal reasoning, informal reasoning, assent



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    Kłos, J. (2026). The Person’s Path to Certitude. Roczniki Filozoficzne, 74(3), 21–51. https://doi.org/10.18290/rf26743.2

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    Roczniki Filozoficzne · ISSN 0035-7685 | eISSN 2450-002X
    © Towarzystwo Naukowe KUL & Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II

    Articles are licensed under a Creative Commons  Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)