Uncertainty

I was walking over the weekend listening to an interview with a physicist about string theory, “super-symmetry,” and the meaning of life. To be honest, I didn’t understand most of what he was saying and I was only listening with half an ear to the podcast. It was a beautiful day and I got sidetracked when he started by noting the prevalence of symmetry in the natural world, but also the need for asymmetry. So, I was ambling along thinking asymmetrical thoughts, when I heard this line, “science does not permit us the illusion of certainty.” I stopped, did he say the illusion of “uncertainty” or “certainty”? Did he say “not permit” or “permit.” I had to rewind and listen again. No, I was right, “science does not permit us the illusion of certainty.” I puzzled over that for a minute then listened to what he said next. He pointed out that in science we always surround our answers by confidence intervals, we have a range of uncertainty about our measurements. We recognize that we aren’t going to be exact. Science accepts error, expects error, requires error. I guess I never thought of science in that way, the uncertainty side of it.


I’m someone who tends toward the logical and rational, who likes linear thought, answerable questions. I recognize that science and logic aren’t exactly the same, but, to me, the connections seem pretty strong. It was a new insight to think about how uncertainty and rationality can co-exist. I’ve certainly become more tolerant of uncertainty in my life, sometimes even able to embrace it—as in the old cliché “the journey is more important than the destination.”