“I’m defining ‘certainty’ to mean when there is no doubt left.”

This definition is courtesy of Professor Ilana Redstone, sociology professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, whom Pingry welcomed in January to deliver this school year’s John Hanly Lecture on Ethics and Morality. The series is named for Pingry’s 13th Head of School, who served from 1987–2000 and emphasized ethical decision making, and it was established upon his retirement to carry on his legacy of focusing on character, integrity, and behaving honorably.

Professor Redstone, author of The Certainty Trap: Why We Need to Question Ourselves More—and How We Can Judge Others Less, spoke to Lower, Middle, and Upper School students (separately, over the course of two days) about “certainty” and the problems it can cause: we do not ask questions, it makes us forget that we can be wrong, it keeps us from being clear about our assumptions and values, and we judge other people.

She encouraged the students to question their own thinking and the concepts they feel certain about, consider why someone else might think differently, and pay attention to where their judgmental feelings are coming from. Responding to a question about balancing confidence with humility, she said, “Letting go of certainty doesn’t make you look weak.”


Contact: Greg Waxberg ’96, Communications Writer, Editor of The Pingry Review