In existential thought, uncertainty refers to the unavoidable condition of human existence in which ultimate meaning, truth, and outcomes can never be guaranteed or fully known. As indicated in the previous post on limitation and finitude, human beings are finite, and our understanding of reality is ever only partial and provisional. Every decision and every choice bear the burden of uncertainty because we cannot foresee or control all possible consequences. Freedom means responsibility for choice without guarantees. Thus, we live without certainty with respect to the outcome of almost any choice, what the future holds, what is moral or even the existence of God.
Heidegger described existence as being “thrown” at birth into the world without certainty about why we are here or knowledge of our ultimate destiny. Kierkegaard, considered one of the founding fathers of existentialism, emphasized that faith is always a “leap” into uncertainty. One cannot rationally prove God’s existence or if there is eternal salvation; faith requires embracing uncertainty. John Paul Sartre argued that because there are no pre-given universal values, humans must create meaning and morality themselves. This radical freedom is accompanied by radical uncertainty about the “rightness” of the choices we make. Uncertainty is not something that can be eradicated because uncertainty is an existential given and humans are neurologically wired to experience anxiety under threat provoked by uncertainty.
Consequences of Uncertainty
Existential psychologists and philosophers link uncertainty to anxiety and dread, the unsettling awareness that life has no guaranteed foundation. On the other hand, confronting uncertainty allows one to live authentically, making choices without clinging to false certainties.
Existential philosophers and psychologists know and accept that uncertainty cannot be eliminated from experience, therefore it must be embraced as an existential fact of existence. Existential psychotherapists see anxiety as an indicator of both our freedom and responsibility. Sartre saw uncertainty as the condition that makes freedom possible. Because nothing is predetermined, humans must construct their own subjective meaning. In summary, in existential thought, uncertainty is the recognition that life offers no ultimate guarantees with respect to truth, morality, or destiny. Uncertainty is both a source of anxiety and the ground for authentic freedom, faith, and creativity.
Consequences of Denying Uncertainty
Existentialists emphasize that uncertainty is not a flaw to be eliminated but a fundamental condition of human biology. When individuals deny or resist this condition, several consequences follow. From an existential perspective, failing to come to terms with uncertainty leads to inauthenticity, despair, and a flight into delusions or rigid systems of false certainty. Kierkegaard argued that denial of uncertainty leads to despair. Instead of embracing the “leap of faith,” individuals cling to rational proofs or rigid dogmas, which ultimately collapse. Despair is the refusal to live passionately in the face of uncertainty, resulting in a shallow, hollow existence. Nietzsche warned that denial of uncertainty can lead either to nihilism (collapse of meaning when false certainties fail) or dogmatism (rigid adherence to systems that suppress freedom).
Both are evasions of the creative task of affirming life in the face of uncertainty. Heidegger described how people flee from existential uncertainty into the comfort of conforming to social norms and distractions. By denying uncertainty, individuals avoid confronting their own possibilities, living superficially rather than authentically. Sartre saw uncertainty as inseparable from freedom itself. Denying uncertainty according to Sartre leads to “bad faith” which he defined as pretending that values or roles are fixed and predetermined. This self-deception may shield one from anxiety for a while but sacrifices authenticity, since the individual refuses to own their freedom and responsibility to themselves. Existential psychologists, for example, Victor Frankl and Rollo May, note that uncertainty is the solid platform for creating meaning and purpose. Denying uncertainty often results in shallow distraction, rigid ideology, or existential emptiness. Without embracing uncertainty, individuals cannot fully engage in the creative project of shaping their lives.
Why Acceptance Matters
Accepting and owning uncertainty allows one to live “authentically”, that is deliberately, making choices without conforming to false narratives or guarantees. Ultimately, uncertainty is the condition of freedom itself; without it, choices become predetermined. Meaning arises precisely because life is uncertain; if everything were guaranteed, meaning would dissolve. As indicated, failure to accept uncertainty traps individuals in despair, inauthenticity, or rigid illusions, while acceptance of uncertainty opens the possibility of authentic freedom, creativity, and meaning.
Psychotherapy therapy emphasizes the importance of awareness as a tool that can help us face it rather than flee from the byproducts of uncertainty. Rather we must face uncertainty with courage accepting the accompanying anxiety as part of being human and necessitating judicious exercise of our freedom and responsibility for the choices we make. Psychotherapy warns against surrendering freedom to institutions or ideologies as a way of escaping the threat of uncertainty. Psychotherapy recommends dealing with modern conditions of threat through cultivating authenticity, awareness, and personal responsibility rather than retreating into denial or easy conformity. Existential psychotherapists help clients deal with threats, whether personal, social, political, or psychological, with courage, presence, and a commitment to live authentically.