Certainty

Recognizing the limits of our ability to forecast could leave us healthier, safer and richer. 2016 has dealt a blow to certainty. Or it certainly should have. Just a few weeks ago, the experts were telling us that Hillary Clinton was certain to be the next President of the United States. Depending on the prediction source or betting market, the odds of a Clinton victory were anywhere from a low of 65% to a preposterous high of 99%. One betting outlet, PaddyPower, for some unfathomable reason, paid off bets on Hillary three weeks ahead of the election. Those who suggested Trump could win were ignored or, more often, roundly mocked. Articles even began to appear explaining the Trump “loss” and the lessons that could be learned from his unsuccessful…

The relationship between certainty and doubt is a strong one that affects our life in big ways. This relationship can be described as constantly feeling certain but also needing a little bits of doubt to keep things tangible, realistic, while still remaining confident. To start, always have a little self doubt in order to keep things realistic. If I said I wanted to live on Mars, there would be some doubt that I could achieve this dream because living on Mars is not realistic at this point in…

On the topic of pain, Descartes describes his experience with amputees who, even though are no longer presently connected with the missing limb, still “sometimes seemed to feel pain in the part which had been amputated” (453). This is otherwise known as Phantom Limb Syndrome, and this contradiction, to Descartes, brings into question to him his own certainty of whether a certain body part that produced a painful sensation was actually the member that was exhibiting the sensation even though he…

Don Delillo, the author of White Noise, wrote an incredible story about the invention of plots, and explains how naming things correlates with the idea of certainty and uncertainty. He does this through the main character of the novel, Jack Gladney, along with other characters that are in Jack’s life, such as his friend and co- worker, Murray Jay Siskind, a neuroscientist and another co-worker, Winnie Richards, and the creator of Dylar, Willie Minks. White Noise teaches us that naming things are…

Often times the conflict between the understanding of a subject versus the emotion felt from the subject go hand in hand.The knower 's perspective create uncertainty in understanding the areas of knowledge. In Theory the Knowledge the areas of knowledge are Mathematics,Natural Sciences, Human Sciences, History, The Arts, Ethics, Religious Knowledge Systems, and Indigenous Knowledge Systems. These are all areas that relatively can cause uncertainty in the understanding or beliefs the knower has…

doors for more understanding between race. Certainty comes with a confidence that defines us as an individual, it engenders people to appear strong and desirable. To be certain in oneself is a trait most wish to have, but are unable to obtain. My sister ,for instance, knows that the medical field an evident aspect of her future and is pursuing her calling, and that is a quality I aspire to have. To be unwavering is an aspect that makes societies stronger because they are irrefutable of what they…

Let us look at the definition of certainty, “a fact about which there is no doubt”. Now let's look at the definition of doubt, “a feeling of being uncertain or unsure about something.”. In our overly sensitive society, we as a general populous always lean toward a word with a more positive connotation rather than one with a more negative connotation. Even when these more “positive” words are not necessarily accurate, for example, the two very contradictory phrases defined above. The majority…

To grow into adulthood an understanding should be made that certainties are made for the individual such as I am certain that I was not made for the medical field or that I know my family will always support me. These are not certainties that every human has or believes in. Doubt makes an individual consider alternatives, to know that certainties vary to person to person. Isaac Newton made certain of gravity through years of experiments and data collection, without any of his data gravity would…

The one thing that everyone in our world today craves for is certainty. As a photographer, I have created a visual escape for others though many years of exploring the creativity of the photographic eye. Before my attendance with this school I had only searched for a ways to provide certainty through community service; this physically provided less fortunate with that value of certainty. I have always thought photography to be powerful means of providing certainty that we all crave in our lives…

Can one be 100% certain about something? Society is constantly tackled with the idea that certainty allows one to accomplish one's desires; however, this concept is ambiguous and not very true. Relying on certainty is the equivalent to depending on your eyes to be able to see every day of your life. Nine times out of ten, one can open their eyes and see the world; yet, there are still people who are blind and people who need glasses. Things that stand to be certain are just ideas that have not…