Passionate Uncertainty

Definition - "Passionate uncertainty" describes the phenomenon where individuals advocate fervently for ideas, causes, or positions despite having an incomplete understanding of the subject matter.

Examples of Passionate Uncertainty often recognized as acts of incivility:

Political Discourse

• A person vehemently defending a specific economic policy (like a flat tax or universal basic income) based solely on party alignment, despite being unable to explain its mechanisms or potential second-order effects

• Activists passionately arguing about complex geopolitical conflicts while having limited knowledge of the region's history, cultural contexts, or political realities

Health and Science

• People adamantly sharing strong opinions about vaccine efficacy or risks without understanding immunology, clinical trial methodology, or statistical analysis

• Individuals fervently advocating for or against certain diets (keto, paleo, vegan) based on community belonging rather than nutritional science

Technology

• Enthusiasts arguing passionately about the dangers or benefits of artificial intelligence despite limited understanding of how machine learning algorithms actually work

• People taking strong stances on cryptocurrency as either the future of finance or a dangerous scam without comprehending blockchain technology or monetary policy

Environmental Issues

• Activists confidently promoting or opposing specific climate policies without understanding the scientific models, economic tradeoffs, or implementation challenges

• Consumers passionately advocating for certain "green" products or practices without knowledge of their actual environmental impact compared to alternatives

Social Media Behavior

• Users sharing and defending viral content that aligns with their worldview without fact-checking or seeking context

• People participating in online pile-ons about complex ethical issues reduced to simplistic good/bad binaries

Academic and Educational Settings

• Students arguing passionately about theoretical frameworks or historical interpretations based on limited reading or classroom discussions

• Parents advocating strongly for or against educational approaches (phonics vs. whole language, traditional vs. progressive) based more on social group identification than pedagogical understanding