Danger Of Certainty

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Pages: 3

Many modern Americans believe that anything is achievable if one is truly certain of their beliefs. This is a hazardous one. It is an idea that causes society to loses its creativity; and with that, the ability to grow and improve. The dangers of certainty have presented themselves on multiple occasions throughout history. Several instances where civilians dogmatically followed the ideologies of someone with higher authority and were severely burdened by the consequences they resulted in can be seen through numerous past events. While certainty has its place in some settings, doubt is of greater importance for the progress of humanity and scientific discovery. In every era of history there are examples of a group’s complete certainty in their beliefs leading to discrimination, violence, war, and many other dreadful consequences. For example, the Roman Inquisition of the 16th century’s sole purpose was to prosecute and execute those engaging in heresy. The Catholic church had “a deeply …show more content…
In the case of the segregated south of the 20th century, African American Clarence Thomas claims it was the only time he felt as if he always knew how to act. He asserts that “the guidelines were countless, but clear. They made life predictable and orderly. Within them, we were safe, free, and happy. I know that sounds odd, since the outside walls of segregation and bigotry persisted,” (C). He is implying that through segregation, it was clear on how he should behave and without it he would have been lost, unsure of how to present himself. While he may have been in favor of a higher power always telling him how to function, he was only one out of millions of African Americans at the time struggling to earn basic human rights and to be treated with equality. Although having certainty can bring ease to few, it causes so much more harm than