Crisis of Certainty: Our Obsession With Being Right Is Holding Us Back

“The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing” -Socrates (or possibly Plato) (1)

Ancient Greece was a sophisticated society, with great thinkers, a wide array of religious beliefs, and a lot of disagreements. The stoics, cynics and epicureans all conflicted with common religious beliefs, and each other, in various ways (2).  Presiding over this debate and tension was the Aereopagus. This elite assembly was selected from the most respected leaders and elite thinkers in society.

These leaders were also curious. When Paul of Tarsus visited Athens around 50 A.D. he noted,  “the Athenians as well as the foreigners in Athens seemed to spend all their time discussing the latest ideas.” And the esteemed Aereopagus was no exception. Summoning Paul to a meeting they said, “You are saying some rather strange things, and we want to know what it’s all about.” When Paul met with this esteemed group, he said “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’" (3)

To an Unknown God. 

Even with all they knew and believed, the Aereopagus held out the possibility, even the conviction, that there was something they missed, some very important Unknown. And that Unknown was important enough to be sought after and honored. 

The modern day United States is also a place of great knowledge and technical sophistication, with more diversity of thought and culture than any nation in history. Yet, rather than adopting the humility of Socrates, it seems we are afflicted with an epidemic of certainty.  Often it feels like everyone feels strongly and confidently about everything. 

But what masquerades as an Age of Certainty might be just an Age of Opinion And Influence. Watch your favorite news network and count how much time is spent sharing facts versus offering opinion or interpretation. Scroll any social media platform and count the number of confident (and often conflicting) claims made by influencers, experts, and commenters. 

This insistence on certainty is particularly pronounced in discussions of religion and politics. And why not? The incentives for peddling certainty are huge. These elements of society are levers with enormous power.  

But, despite our valiant efforts to harden hot takes into truth, I think most of us know our world is not quite as easily explained as some might suggest. Life is complicated, society is complicated, the universe is complicated, people are complicated. Often that complexity defies simple explanation. 

And glossing over complexity is perilous. Certainty is the enemy of progress. Just a few centuries ago, most people were absolutely certain that the sun revolved around the earth, that germs did not exist, that the atom could not be split, that monarchy was the best way to govern. Everyone saw the moon, but had no idea it moved oceans. Fortunately, there were enough people with the confidence to ask questions, the persistence to find answers, and the dedication to help others learn. 

How many times have we looked back with regret on a choice we made confidently that turned out horribly? “If I had only known…” The future will never be free of regret, but the best way to minimize regret is to embrace the reality that regret is possible. We must acknowledge the unknown. 

Today’s world needs fewer confident claims, and more thoughtful questions. I must question everything, especially my own beliefs. I cannot be afraid of my tribe. I cannot be afraid of finding I have been wrong. Those who seek to divide us and manipulate us with false certainties may need to fear, but the truth never, ever has to fear. 

Whatever higher power you honor, whatever ultimate truth you seek, whatever hopes you have for the advancement of mankind, the path to progress depends not on the strength of what we know but on the pursuit of what we do not know. 

Paul of Tarsus shared with the Aereopagus his view on who this Unknown God was, and he spent his life describing his explanation of  The Unknown to whomever would listen. But even he, one of the greatest religious thinkers of all time across any religion, still was humbled by how little he actually knew. At the pinnacle of his fame and influence, he penned these words:

“We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete…We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist…” (4).

True faith is shown, not in what we claim to know, but in the questions we have the courage to ask. 

And true progress, in any aspect of society or personal life, comes from having the courage to be uncertain, and the willingness to seek the unknown. 

NOTES

(1) This quote is traditionally credited to Socrates, but some historians think it may have actually been his student Plato who said this, borrowing on the principles learned from his teacher. Ironic, given the content.

(2) Beyond the core dozen primary deities, there were also scores if not hundreds of regional variations across Greece.

(3) Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭17‬:‭18‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT

(4) 1 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭8‬-‭10‬, ‭12‬ ‭MSG‬‬