Uncertainty and Thinking - 2

Probably we need some certainty in order to think at all.  But not too much.

I helped a college student by providing a place for him to live when I was also in college.  It seemed the right thing to do.  He was a philosophy major who had committed himself to the position that we could not know anything.  Not ever.  As he advanced in his commitment, he became stranger and less responsible.  A few months after he left our shared houseboat, I heard that he had taken his life.  As he said, "I take a step, I think.  But I never know if there will be a floor or the ground where I put my foot next."  Without at least the assumption of certainty, he could not stand to live.  If he was alive.  He was not certain.

One "certainty" that he ignored was the inheritance he was due to get in a few months -- one million dollars, give or take a few cents.  In the 1950's, that was a chuck of money.

Anyway, we probably can't think unless we believe somethings are certain.  We have to have somewhere we can stand before we can move in any direction. 

What do you think?  Sign up and share your ideas.