Books for Clarity

In The Cunning of Uncertainty, Helga Nowotny explores, in impressive detail, what defines uncertainty and the many ways of coping with it. She defines fear (a choice made to support our way of life), risk, and control. She does an excellent job discussing curiosity as it relates to the research endeavor in the chapter called “The Cunning of Promise.” She reminds us that curiosity “is a major driving force in science based on the powerful conviction that it will deliver something of interest and significance” (pg. 105). I highly recommend this book if you’re uncertain in your research pursuits and are looking for clarity.

Coping and the Challenge of Resilience is a very academic, but useful book that provides several tips and good guidance on what it means to cope with uncertainty. Erica Frydenberg pulls from her own research as well as her colleagues to write about resiliency among people at various life stages. I let the table of contents guide what I read instead of delving into it from cover-to-cover.

Not about clarity per se, Wonder offers a perspective on how humans have maintained and dealt with the mysterious. The author studies the psychology of religion and has stumbled on the idea of the sense of wonder (what could be considered a lack of clarity) as being a driver for belief, human relationships, and social change.