> *Wipe thine ass with what is written* > *and grin like a ninny at what is Spoken.* > *Take thine refuge with thine wine* > *in the Nothing behind Everything,* > *as you hurry along the Path.* > > Principia Discordia You should read this book because we are living under a dangerous illusion—one that technological and scientific progress has unwittingly nurtured. It’s the **illusion of omniscience**, the belief that we are marching, step by step, toward perfect knowledge, that uncertainty is just a vanishing error term in our otherwise flawless calculations. This illusion lures us toward the rocky shores of unwarranted certainty, a place where hubris thrives and real discovery withers. But nothing could be further from the truth. Uncertainty is not some lingering defect in our understanding, nor is it a small, shrinking patch of wilderness awaiting civilization’s triumph. It is, in fact, our very interface with the unknown. It’s the gateway to discovery, the space where the adjacent possible unfolds—the fertile edge where true innovation and insight emerge. That’s why this book invites you on a journey of intellectual humility, to cultivate what Nicolas of Cusa called **learned ignorance**—a recognition of how little we truly know. Not to wallow in ignorance, but to embrace a spirit of inquiry, to lean into uncertainty rather than recoil from it. You should read this book because it is a caution against **excessive certainty**. Any claim of absolute certainty should raise an eyebrow—or two. It ignores the fundamental limitations of human cognition: our biases, our flawed senses, our tendency to mistake the map for the territory. History is littered with the wreckage of ideas once deemed irrefutable, only to be undone by new evidence. The scientific method itself thrives on uncertainty; it is what propels progress. And in a world of intricate, interwoven systems—where second, third, and fourth-order effects ripple beyond our ability to predict—clinging to rigid certainty is not wisdom. It’s folly. The Spanish Inquisition may be long gone, but dogma is alive and well, and it continues to stifle creative thought, innovation, and adaptation at a time when we need them most. You should read this book because uncertainty shapes our lives in ways we rarely acknowledge. It influences careers, relationships, financial markets, and geopolitics. It can trigger fear, upheaval, and—when poorly managed—disaster. Much of this stems from a defining feature of our era: **change**. The problem is, our brains aren’t great at dealing with rapid shifts in our environment. Change renders our hard-earned knowledge obsolete and disrupts our comfortable habits. This is what some call the **adaptability paradox**: when we most need to evolve, uncertainty can paralyse us, making us cling to outdated ways of thinking. But whether we like it or not, adapt we must. My aim is to help us better understand, tame, and even harness the power of uncertainty. Because looking at the world today—the sheer complexity of the challenges we face—it seems clear that mastering uncertainty may not just be useful. It may be a survival skill. [[Why I am writing this book|Next page]]