The more I learn about the universe/multiverse the less I understand. I feel so alienated from people like the good Dr. Craig. In smug moments I can get really snarky about theology. And yet I used to be right there doing the same smarmy things, if less elegantly.

Certainty bias, an emotive feeling that ‘I know that I know’, comes from a part of the brain separate from our rational thoughts. It reinforces our sense of rightness through pleasurable mental experience. The ‘aha moment’ is one example of this range of perceptions. Everyone experiences this spectrum when they come to “certainty” whether they are right or wrong about the things they are deciding.

Understanding the certainty bias helps me to preserve a better measure of skepticism about what I believe.

It depends on the story problem you got the math from. If a big group of people are trying to get across town in little cars, any remainder will need its own car. If you have a bunch of balloons to distribute among hypersensitive and confrontational friends, any remainder will need to be popped and hidden in your pocket.

Step One: read the problem.
Step Two: find the math.
Step Three: solve the math.

Step Four is the moral: read the problem again. Make sure the answer makes sense. You’re solving a problem, not just pushing numbers around.