We know that we will cease to exist some day. One of the things that differentiates us from the animals is that we are aware of our own mortality. There are a number of reasons-it’s easier on the brain, we’re inclined to imagine we know more than we do, and so on-but there is one reason that looms largest: the need to make sense of a life that can feel meaningless. In The Certainty of Uncertainty, I explore why it is that people crave certainty. Why We Crave Certaintyīut why should this be? Why should we seek certainties over facts and truth? It turns out that more than truth, more than accuracy, we crave certainty-even if we’re wrong about the things we’re certain of.
How is it that so many people can commit themselves to a cause whose foundations are easily falsified and whose basic ideology has long been discredited?
They were fueled in large measure by a misguided belief in claims of widespread electoral fraud-claims that have been repeatedly debunked-as well as by White Supremacy, Christian Nationalism, and a healthy dose of conspiracy theories, in particular the QAnon conspiracy theory. On January 6, a crowd of rioters stormed the United States Capitol, intent on disrupting the ceremonial tally of Electoral College votes by a Joint Session of Congress. The violent insurrection at the Capitol on January 6 is the consequence of many things, but at its heart is the need for absolute certainty.
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