Disdain certainty and control

Paul Sloane : I became fascinated by the unexpected and how little we realise that it shapes our lives. If you look back at your life you will probably find that many of the the most important turning points were influenced by surprising and unexpected events. From Business to Science to the Arts to sport to History the unanticipated plays a major part. Just imagine how different the 20th century would have been if Archduke Ferdinand had taken a different route in 1914.

Disdain Certainty and Control

Before we can develop serendipity and encourage unexpected outcomes there are two passengers we need to throw overboard. We live in a world obsessed with the search for control and certainty. We believe that everything can and should be managed. From meticulously planned schedules to the relentless pursuit of perfection, we strive to exert control over every aspect of our lives. We carefully plan our days, our weeks, our years, attempting to navigate the unpredictable currents of existence with a firm hand on the tiller. But what if, instead of fighting against the tides of chance, we learned to harness their power? What if, instead of viewing uncertainty as an enemy, we embraced it as an opportunity for unexpected breakthroughs?

Creativity and innovation are unlikely to flourish in an environment of control. They thrive in the fertile ground of the unexpected, where chance encounters, unforeseen events, and the unpredictable play a crucial role. The myth of control, the illusion that we can fully predict and manipulate the course of events, often hinders our ability to embrace the serendipitous moments that lead to the most profound discoveries.

Neuroscience reinforces this. While our brains are wired to crave certainty and react to unpredictability as a threat, it is in moments of quiet, not constant planning, that real insights appear. The default mode network in our brains, active when we’re relaxed or daydreaming, is where creative connections form. We often overlook that some of our best ideas arrive when we’re not consciously trying to control the outcome.

Across time and culture, there’s been reverence for ambiguity. Taoist thinking invites us to flow with life’s river rather than push against it. Zen Buddhism sees value in beginner’s mind—the state of openness that precedes expertise. The great explorers of the Age of Discovery sailed into the unknown not with guarantees, but with curiosity.

In the film Conclave (based on the book by Robert Harris), Cardinal Lawrence, played by Ralph Fiennes, leads the conclave to select a new pontiff after the Holy Father’s death. He offers this profound meditation to his brother cardinals: “My brothers and sisters, in the course of a long life in the service of our Mother the Church, let me tell you that the one sin I have come to fear more than any other is certainty. Certainty is the great enemy of unity. Certainty is the deadly enemy of tolerance. Even Christ was not certain at the end. ‘Eli Eli, lama sabachtani?’ He cried out in His agony at the ninth hour on the cross. ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ Our faith is a living thing precisely because it walks hand in hand with doubt. If there was only certainty, and if there was no doubt, there would be no mystery, and therefore no need for faith.”

P.S. : AI is obviously a massive driver of change for good and bad in the immediate future. It can liberate mankind from all sorts of tasks but it can be used for misinformation and could become an existential threat to us.

I am worried by some other trends, the loss of faith in science and the scientific method. The loss of faith in democracy and in the people and institutions we rely on. The rise in inequality in wealth and opportunity. The rise of totalitarianism and leaders who lie and manipulate. We will need strong leaders with the vision and determination to lead us through difficult times.

P.S. : For a more interesting life do something different, unusual or even bizarre every day. We all fall into comfortable routines, doing the same things and meeting the same people. Routine is the enemy of excitement. If you want to welcome serendipity and unexpected, even thrilling, outcomes then deliberately do different things and meet different people.

P.S. : How we can harness AI to enhance human creativity. How we can help our children and grandchildren to navigate a rapidly changing world full of opportunity and danger.

Thank you Paul Sloane

Thanks you Bertrand Jouvenot

The book : The Art of Unexpected Solutions, Paul Sloane, Kogan Page, 2026.