Prudent people, therefore, avoid many dangers by frequently employing in daily life assent which is both full and provisional. 1. On the one hand, assent when full, that is, finished and complete, does not leave the mind in suspense and disquiet as doubt naturally does; it produces a state of certainty, makes human actions possible, and gives rise to solid frankness and the resolution necessary for action in one’s undertakings. 2. On the other hand, because this assent is provisional in the sense explained, it avoids error (which would not be possible in the case of an absolute, immobile assent) and leaves the way open to progress in spirit by assisting quiet, wholesome communication between human beings. Effective union between many individuals is brought about by means of courtesy and tolerance in the midst of varying opinions.
Antonio Rosmini, Certainty,Part IV, section 1306
