No Doubt

Being certain can be good, of course. If you’re a contestant in a spelling bee, you definitely don’t want to be up on the stage doubting how to spell, say, hagiographer or obnebulate. And we very much want to be sure of some things, even if that surety can sometimes falter or fail us: our partner’s and our parents’ love; our worth as human beings; our trust in institutions and government to keep us safe.

It ought to be obvious that at least half of what we think is certain is suspect, given the limits of human perception. In 2015, the internet went wild with people debating whether that striped dress in England was blue and black or white and gold (don’t bother looking it up; it was blue and black), which was both a fun diversion for a minute and a clear indicator that people don’t see things the same way even when they are all looking at the same exact thing.

What’s more, though we humans can see something like ten million colors, the number of colors to see is close to infinite. So, when we say, “I can see it with my own eyes,” well—there’s that.

College is a prime time for questioning one’s beliefs, for forming new ones, and occasionally galvanizing the ones you came with. All that seems good and necessary. But could it be that certainty is part of what’s wrong with us?

To find out, we talked to writers, doctors, a philosopher, a neuroscientist, and a forensic psychologist, to see what they know for sure. Or what they don’t.

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The Sure Thing

Matt Bitonti ’00—writer, publisher, fantasy football guy, one-time BCN actor—reels out a tale about the one true certainty: love.

A Boost from Uncertainty

Neuroscience and psychology professor Erika Nyhus, whose goals include teaching students to think like scientists, tackles uncertainty with curiosity, only to find that uncertainty itself can unleash a drive to explore.

True Crime?

As a forensic psychologist, Antoinette Kavanaugh ’90 spends her days evaluating people’s grasp on the truth for the court.

Medicine’s Ground State

Nick ’08 and Mike Larochelle ’08, ER docs both, highlight the tension between patients’ deep need to know what is to come with the stress and cliff-hanger nature of emergency medicine.

Against Certainty

Scott Sehon, professor of philosophy, takes us back to the academic roots of the logical argument in contemporary terms.

On Writing Beneficence

Meredith Hall ’93 tells of not being sure of anything as she wrote her novel, Beneficence. As she did, characters emerged, and she was filled with sureness, as if having known them always.

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Shout is an award-winning Italian illustrator..

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This story first appeared in the Spring 2025 issue of Bowdoin Magazine. Manage your subscription and see other stories from the magazine on the Bowdoin Magazine website.