Final answer:
Louis Pojman suggests that professors can be absolutely certain that proving a general negative claim is impossible, which ties into broader philosophical discussions on the nature of certainty and reality.
Step-by-step explanation:
Louis Pojman contends that professors can be absolutely certain of the fact that it's impossible to prove a general negative claim. This notion is based on the principle that those asserting the affirmative have the burden of proof within the community of reasoning beings, whether the discussion revolves around the existence of purple elephants, miraculous events, or a single Supreme Being.
In Philosophy, especially in discussions influenced by post-modernism, the idea that objective knowledge and absolute certainty about reality (or 'Reality 1') are unattainable is prevalent. This leads to the conclusion that all thinking about Reality 1 is merely about our perceptions (or 'Reality 3'), signifying that there can be multiple, subjective 'realities' based on different beliefs.
Moreover, even within literary analysis or scientific hypotheses, the matter of certainty is elusive. Professors acknowledge that their interpretations, like the prediction of the sun rising tomorrow, are debatable and that understanding is built on reasoned probabilities but not absolutes. Therefore, Pojman, like other philosophers, highlights the importance of recognizing our intellectual limitations and the value of continuing to question and explore different perspectives.