Tolerance of uncertainty as new 'shadow competence'. Do we need a 'right to incompetence'?

Abstract

In a world full of uncertainties and growing dependency on outside sources of supply for the goods and services of “highly developed” industrial societies, experts decide increasingly –even in social areas– which ‘competences’ people must have in order to survive in the professional world. In this framework “uncertainty tolerance” emerges as a new “shadow-ability” which encompasses the challenge of actively forming one’s own unplannable future. Juxtaposed to this stands the right to declare one’s self as responsible, able to judge and capable of acting in relation to the social situation. This can be seen as the right to reject heteronomous evaluation, as the “right to incompetency”. Refering to earlier and current critical approaches on the tendency to comprehensive disenfranchisement in our society (Illich and Gorz), this article pleads for a change in attitude toward uncertainties and inner crisis, a change oriented on the possibilities and experience of the individual, characterized by respect and esteem, and which acknowledges error friendliness and limitations of growth.