In this module, you’ll learn to describe how certainty shapes our interactions with other people and how to analyze the role of certainty in how we communicate. You’ll also learn to identify and understand how certainty erodes public trust. You’ll learn about other efforts to solve the broad problem of political polarization and analyze their strengths and weaknesses.

In this module, you’ll analyze a case study in how certainty shapes the way we interpret the world. You’ll learn to recognize and identify the Settled Question Fallacy and to identify the various ways in which the Settled Question Fallacy presented itself in the case of the Covid-19 Pandemic. You will also think through how it might have been handled differently. You’ll learn about the importance of naming values, beliefs, and principles and why being clear and precise in language matters enormously for communication on heated issues.

In this module, you’ll learn how the Fallacy of Equal Knowledge relates to the Certainty Trap. You will learn to identify, explain, and analyze this fallacy in context. You’ll learn about some important limitations of science and why using it to defend our positions on social issues won’t lead to agreement. You’ll learn to explain and analyze the Fallacy of Known Intent, how it relates to the Certainty Trap, and how to identify and avoid it.

In this module, you’ll explore, analyze, and interpret the idea that nothing is certain. You’ll learn how certainty affects our understanding of the future, the past, and the present and you’ll explore the relationship between certainty and knowledge. You’ll learn to think through some of the complexity and ambiguity that comes with morality and you'll learn why understanding this is important for avoiding the problems of certainty.

In this module, you’ll learn strategies for navigating life outside of the Certainty Trap. You’ll learn how to question and challenge your judgments, avoid demonizing and dismissing others, and think through possible justifications for views that differ from your own. You’ll think through the distinction between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation and analyze the problem of relying on intent to differentiate between the two. You’ll examine some of the challenges when it comes to avoiding the Certainty Trap, including the difficulty in both identifying the kinds of questions that reveal uncertainty and in turning away from assumptions about bad intent.

In this module, you’ll learn some of the challenges that emerge when it comes to thinking about social problems and evidence, including why cause and effect can be so difficult to pin down. You’ll learn what the limited nature of our knowledge means for polarizing questions, especially when it comes to causal claims and you’ll explore how our own experiences shape our conclusions. You’ll analyze how we end up in the Certainty Trap in the first place, the cascading effect of certainty, and why transitioning from certainty to confidence can be difficult.

In this module, you’ll analyze what happens when institutions that are in the certainty trap—including how it impacts questions of trust and legitimacy. You’ll tackle the question of whether acknowledging uncertainty means creating space for theories that many people find highly improbable and you’ll explore how to learn something from the process of discussing these theories with someone who thinks they’re right. Finally, you’ll get a chance to reflect on what you’ve learned and think through some of the lingering questions you might still have.