Certainty is the most dangerous emotion a human being can feel in politics and religion. Certainty stops all outside thought or reason. It closes the door and is a metaphorical spit in the face of anyone who disagrees. Changing one’s mind is the essence of critical thinking.
Confidence in oneself, or confidence in someone or something external? The two feel quite different to me, subjectively—something like a feeling of lightness and elevation vs. groundedness and solidity, although English doesn’t have a very good vocabulary for this sort of thing.
Edwin Lyngar at Salon
I don’t think certainty is an emotion in the first place. The emotion that people who are certain feel is confidence.
Even then I think it’s frequently better than anger.
Confidence in oneself, or confidence in someone or something external? The two feel quite different to me, subjectively—something like a feeling of lightness and elevation vs. groundedness and solidity, although English doesn’t have a very good vocabulary for this sort of thing.