Uncertainty

The human race's search for knowledge begins with uncertainty. All kinds of superstitions arise to explain what cannot at the time be explained. A hunger exists for a clear, concise explanation, whether it be gods with human personalities or mathematical formulas that explain everything observed. Uncertainty is uncomfortable for several reasons.

On a personal level, the discomfort seems to be an instinct. Certain physicists do not want to believe their own studies due to discomfort. On a political level, the effects of power come into play. At various point in history, the Roman Catholic Church has wanted science to accord with their own Biblical explanations in order to retain power, especially when Protestantism threatens to take away church membership. During these times, physicists could be suppressed, as in Galileo's situation.

However, the clear practicality of quantum mechanics requires belief in the uncertainty principle. Entire corporate empires depend upon...