“The Importance of Uncertainty in Solving The Problem with Everything” (2021-2022)

When I received the prompt for this essay, it was not new for me to write about a book. Most of my past essays were on high school English classics. However, they never had much depth, simply restating the author’s arguments because they were what the teacher wanted to hear. Thus, this assignment–to form my own argument based on a book–was incredibly intimidating.

Fittingly, at no point while I was working on this essay was I certain of the direction in which I was going. I grappled with each paragraph, questioning everything from the general argument to the very words in each sentence to ensure I was conveying the message that I intended. The conclusion was the most difficult part. The ending of my first draft resorted to blaming human nature in order to avoid writing a conclusion that was “wrong”. To advocate only for “nuance” seemed like an ignorant way to view the fight for social justice, yet I had mixed feelings about particular political controversies too often to reject Meghan Daum’s claims altogether. So as I read through Daum’s thoughts again and again, reflected on my own experiences, and searched for other reviews of the book to find my ending, I discovered the virtue of the word “perhaps.” I realized that my conclusion need not be a definite, assertive statement, and it became a suggestion that perhaps uncertainty is the unexpected key to bettering society. Although this essay deals specifically with political polarization, it has also taught me that, in whatever situation, uncertainty is not a scary state of mind that must be avoided; rather, it is a crucial step in the process of reaching a solution.

Jamie Lee (CAS ’24) majors in data science and minors in psychology at the College of Arts and Science and hopes to work in law in the future. Born in the liberal city of Boston, Massachusetts and raised in the relatively conservative Daejeon, South Korea, she has been influenced by both perspectives; as an indecisive, non-confrontational scientist, she often feels reluctant to take sides without having all of the information. Her essay was inspired by her own unease with maintaining an undecided stance amid the recent increase in political polarization, leading her to explore the role of uncertainty in achieving social progress.