anatomy of uncertainty. An uncertainty is the product of two certainties. One can be sure that something is and one can be sure that something is not. He can be sure that there is something, no matter what it is, present, and that there is nothing present. These two certainties commingling create a condition of uncertainty known as "maybe." A "maybe" continues to b e held in suspense in an individual's mind simply because he cannot decide whether it is nothing or something. —History of Man Glossary (app. 11.7.90)