Final answer:
Self-evident truths are those that are immediately recognizable without need for proof, such as intuitive knowledge or common sense perceptions.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to the quote, what is considered to be self-evident? This question touches on the philosophical notion of what can be instantly recognized as true without the need for further proof or argumentation. A self-evident truth is one that is immediately apparent to our intuition or common sense, and it does not require empirical evidence or logical deduction to be validated.
Self-evidence is often considered to exist in the realm of intuition, where cognition is so clear and straightforward that doubt seems implausible. For example, the knowledge that 'I think, therefore I am,' as proposed by Descartes, is recognized through abstract reason and is considered intuitively true, as are mathematical truths such as 'one plus one equals two.' Similarly, G.E. Moore's assertion that our sensory perception of a hand is enough evidence of its existence and, by extension, the external world is an appeal to self-evidence through common sense.
In the philosophical context, self-evidence may also be approached via the idea that certain moral statements, even when couched in subjective terms like 'good' and 'bad,' might be intuitively understood. For instance, the intuition that 'it is better to be good than to be bad' is considered self-evident, despite the varying definitions of what constitutes 'good' or 'bad.' However, it is crucial to differentiate between genuine self-evident intuitions and beliefs or perspectives that simply feel right but lack universal consensus.