An easy trap to fall into is to become complacent in our beliefs, to not pay attention to the full depth of a topic. Instead, it’s easy to stop with a limited understanding, form opinions that we like, then reinforce them by finding sources that agree with us. This tends to further solidify our thinking.
The reality is that some topics, such as those related to metaphysics*, have many different dimensions that are continuing to be explored. Our understanding of fundamental physical reality is so nascent, still so evolving, that to claim any certainty, especially without constant learning, is simply arrogant. Thus, it seems the proper posture is one of humility and continual learning rather than dogmatic certainty.
When we stop paying attention to the complexity of ideas, we can become blind to things all around us that actually point to such complexity. We see only what we expect in the world, rather than noticing the wonders that are actually there.
For example, the wonder that we feel when looking up at the night sky is often explained by describing the immensely powerful processes and long timescales involved. However, it’s easy to miss the mismatch between those processes and the complex uniqueness of Earth and humanity.
When looking closer, it turns out that the processes that drive the spectacular night sky also are precisely what’s needed to produce life. If the nature of physics were even microscopically different, then life couldn’t occur. At the beginning of the universe, it would have been much more likely for the nature of physical laws to produce a universe of isolated black holes, or a cold dark plasma, or something else similarly sterile.
Why is it that the universe came into being with just the right parameters to support life?
This is called the “fine tuning problem”, and is something that scientists are struggling to explain today. There are several possibilities, but no clear solution.
There are many other examples where it’s easy to form and reinforce static opinions, but where doing that is clearly not warranted upon closer inspection. In fact, the diversity of such metaphysical questions and their persistent mysteries, makes it impossible to support many certain positions.
In many cases, the only wrong answer is to claim certainty.
* For the purposes here, I’m using the definition from Wikipedia: Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of consciousness and the relationship between mind and matter, between substance and attribute, and between potentiality and actuality.
Kelvin's Clouds 