‘Uncertain times’ is a refrain that fills United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reports, discussions by climatologists, economists, political scientists and filters down to individuals anxious about the future of their children. It is seen as a sign of our times — an anomaly of our making, of our neglect, suggesting urgent attention will redress and restore all to an even keel.

However, increasingly, scientists propose that uncertainty is a fundamental feature of the universe. American mathematician John Allen Paulos concluded that “Uncertainty is the only certainty there is“, echoing the first century Roman thinker Pliny the Elder’s statement, “The only certainty is that nothing is certain.”

Seeking certainty is a modern construct, whose roots can be traced to the philosophers of the Age of Enlightenment, which separated state and religion, and promoted reason and scientific inquiry over ‘blind faith.’ The truth was what could be experienced by the five senses, be scientifically examined and rationally explained. The French philosopher Denis Diderot wrote, “If you want me to believe in God, you must make me touch him.” Religion was respected, but as a personal matter.

As the online cultural critic who goes by the pen name NBM........

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