How to Get Better at Accepting – Even Appreciating – Uncertainty

KQED's Forum

KQED

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.2 • 726 Ratings

🗓️ 15 May 2026

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Though our lives are filled with uncertainty, we’re less tolerant of it than ever, says journalist Simone Stolzoff, author of the new book “How to Not Know: The Value of Uncertainty in a World that Demands Answers.” Surrounded by prediction markets, statistics and the world’s knowledge on our phones, we think we should always be certain – in who we are, what we believe and what the “right” choice is. But Stolzoff says that accepting and even appreciating uncertainty can help us be more tolerant, humble and ready to take on life’s curveballs. Guests: Simone Stolzoff, journalist and author, "How to Not Know: The Value of Uncertainty in a World that Demands Answers" and "The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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1:00.0	Welcome to Forum. I'm Mina Kim.
1:06.0	Though our lives are filled with uncertainty, we're less tolerant of it than ever, says author and journalists Simone Stolesoff.
1:08.7	Surrounded by prediction markets, statistics, and the world's knowledge
1:11.9	on our phones, we expect answers to be readily available and that we should be certain in what
1:16.7	we believe and what the right choices are. But Stolzoff says embracing uncertainty can help us
	...

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