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← Doubt is not pleasant, but certainty is absurd, since we know nothing of first principles

17 connected korrents · 10 moments from 8 Jun 1637 to 17 Sept 2026.

Everything filed under behavioural science behavioural science Everything filed under motivation motivation Everything filed under attitude change attitude change Everything filed under humility humility Everything filed under religion religion Same subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subject Read this korrent: Doubt is not pleasant, but certainty is absurd, since we know nothing of first principles Doubt is not pleasant, but certainty isabsurd, since we know nothing of firstprinciples Last stated 256 years ago 28 Nov 1770 VO Voltaire — holds since 1770-11-28 — tap for who they are Same subject: Knowledge that is not immune to doubt deserves no confidence and cannot count as certainty — tap to centre the map on it Knowledge that is not immune todoubt deserves no confidence andcannot count as certainty AL Al-Ghazali — holds since c. 1106–1111 — tap for who they are Same subject: I think, therefore I am, is certain enough to be the first principle of philosophy — tap to centre the map on it I think, therefore I am, is certainenough to be the first principle ofphilosophy Last stated 389 years ago 8 Jun 1637 RD René Descartes — holds since 1637-06-08 — tap for who they are Same subject: Nothing should be accepted as true unless it is known so clearly and distinctly that no ground for doubt remains — tap to centre the map on it Nothing should be accepted as trueunless it is known so clearly anddistinctly that no ground for doubtremains Last stated 389 years ago 8 Jun 1637 RD René Descartes — holds since 1637-06-08 — tap for who they are Same subject: Philosophy cannot say with certainty what is true, but it suggests possibilities that free thought from the tyranny of custom — tap to centre the map on it Philosophy cannot say with certaintywhat is true, but it suggestspossibilities that free thought fromthe tyranny of custom BR Bertrand Russell — holds since c. 1912 — tap for who they are Same subject: Confidence in a belief reflects the coherence of the story the mind built, not the quality of the evidence — tap to centre the map on it Confidence in a belief reflects thecoherence of the story the mindbuilt, not the quality of theevidence DK Daniel Kahneman — holds since c. 2011 — tap for who they are Same subject: No one with understanding could think a man believes in divine things yet not in gods — tap to centre the map on it No one with understanding couldthink a man believes in divinethings yet not in gods SO Socrates — holds since c. 399 BCE — tap for who they are Same subject: Discussing virtue daily is the greatest good, and the unexamined life is not worth living — tap to centre the map on it Discussing virtue daily is thegreatest good, and the unexaminedlife is not worth living SO Socrates — holds since c. 399 BCE — tap for who they are Same subject: Fearing death is a pretence of wisdom; no one knows whether death may be the greatest good — tap to centre the map on it Fearing death is a pretence ofwisdom; no one knows whether deathmay be the greatest good SO Socrates — holds since c. 399 BCE — tap for who they are Same subject: A belief system combining cosmic stakes, privileged knowledge, personal vocation and an imperative to act can license extraordinary behavior when it conflicts with ordinary constraints. — tap to centre the map on it A belief system combining cosmicstakes, privileged knowledge,personal vocation and an imperativeto act can license extraordinarybehavior when it conflicts withordinary constraints. Last stated 3 weeks ago 17 Sept 2026 VR Venkatesh Rao — holds since 2026-09-17 — tap for who they are Same subject: A cancellation-reason drop-down measures list order rather than reasons: randomise the options and every one of them gets picked equally. — tap to centre the map on it A cancellation-reason drop-downmeasures list order rather thanreasons: randomise the options andevery one of them gets pickedequally. Last stated 9 months ago 25 Jan 2026 JC Jason Cohen — holds since 2026-01-25 — tap for who they are Same subject: A decision cannot be judged by its outcome, because good decisions fail through no fault of the decider and bad ones succeed by luck. — tap to centre the map on it A decision cannot be judged by itsoutcome, because good decisions failthrough no fault of the decider andbad ones succeed by luck. Last stated 4 years ago 9 Aug 2022 GK Gary Klein — holds since 2022-08-09 — tap for who they are Same subject: Being professionally offended by every little thing is no longer a dominant disposition — tap to centre the map on it Being professionally offended byevery little thing is no longer adominant disposition Last stated 2 years ago 6 Nov 2024 DH David Heinemeier Hansson — holds since 2024-11-06 — tap for who they are Same subject: Blaming and shaming people only makes them defensive, dig in their heels, or tune out, rather than change their minds. — tap to centre the map on it Blaming and shaming people onlymakes them defensive, dig in theirheels, or tune out, rather thanchange their minds. Last stated 4 months ago 9 Jun 2026 AG Adam Grant — holds since 2026-06-09 — tap for who they are Same subject: Decades of warnings about an AI apocalypse do not justify much concern today. — tap to centre the map on it Decades of warnings about an AIapocalypse do not justify muchconcern today. Last stated 4 weeks ago 12 Sept 2026 PF Paul Ford — holds since 2026-09-12 — tap for who they are Same subject: A drop in agency is the earliest sign of burnout, arriving before you consciously notice you are burning out. — tap to centre the map on it A drop in agency is the earliestsign of burnout, arriving before youconsciously notice you are burningout. Last stated 3 years ago 10 Jan 2024 CH Cate Hall — holds since 2024-01-10 — tap for who they are Same subject: A founder who picks an idea because the market wants it will give up, because nobody can persist at something that was never important to them. — tap to centre the map on it A founder who picks an idea becausethe market wants it will give up,because nobody can persist atsomething that was never importantto them. Last stated 2 years ago 19 Jun 2024 AS Aravind Srinivas — holds since 2024-06-19 — tap for who they are Same subject: A general inclination of all humankind is a perpetual, restless desire of power after power that ends only in death — tap to centre the map on it A general inclination of allhumankind is a perpetual, restlessdesire of power after power thatends only in death TH Thomas Hobbes — holds since c. 1651 — tap for who they are
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At the centre Doubt is not pleasant, but certainty is absurd, since we know nothing of first principles Last stated 28 Nov 1770 · 256 years ago Holds Voltaire Read this korrent →