The Uncertainty of Certainty

Hear me read the poem as an MP3 file. Alpha List Philosophical Poems Proverbs About This Site Poems for Free Copyright by Nicholas Gordon

1. If you're sure you're right, you're probably wrong. 2. What one needs to believe is precisely what one needs not to believe. 3. Certainty is a wall one erects around doubt. The stronger the doubt, the stronger the wall. 4. The most consistent source of error is not ignorance but knowledge. 5. What we know is like a flashlight on a moonless night -- essential for getting around. But often it is better to turn the flashlight off and let our eyes get used to the dark. Copyright by Nicholas Gordon. Free for personal or non-commercial use.