The desire to understand is almost synonymous with the desire to simplify, and it is closely bound up with the desire for certainty - for assurance. But, when we find we have over-simplified, this does not necessarily imply that our conclusions are wrong. It implies merely that they are less right than we thought, or that we have exaggerated their comprehensiveness.
Rupert Crawshay-Williams, The Comforts of Unreason: A Study of the Motives Behind Irrational Thought
epistemology, psychology