Epstein Concept: Information Through Personal Experience

As I was reading the Personal Section of B. Criteria for Accepting or Rejecting Claims, I agreed on how "our most reliable source of information about the world is our own experience." Most of the decisions that I make and my friend's make are based on what we hear from our peers, teachers, the teachings of any religions we believe in, the news, media, and/or books. These experiences and sources is ultimately how I decided whether I should accept or reject a claim. However, I also agree with the fact that the experiences I encounter can sometimes end up being blurry in detail and too vague to come up with a verdict of agreement or rejection for a claim. In these cases, I would suspend a judgment.

Here are some examples I came up with on whether I would accept, reject, or suspend judgment.

1) Jenny only likes eating mushrooms pizza.

I accept this judgment because it's based on what she told me through personal experience.

2) College students always drink alcohol at parties.

This is a stereotypical judgment is not true because I know college students, including myself, that don't drink alcohol when attending parties. Therefore, I reject this judgment.

3) The most poisonous snake on Earth is the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake.

When I was in Louisiana during the summer of 2010, a friend told me about the how poisonous the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake is, but even then I am not positive if it is the most venomous snake on Earth. So, I'm going to suspend judgment.