# uncertainty (epistemic)

When a thing may be in one place or another, or may happen at one time or another, and the pattern is not known.

- Computed level: L8 (depth in the emergence graph, not abstraction)
- Status: review  ·  Domain: everyday

## Emergence
**Emerges from:** [space](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-space.extent), [time](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-time.dimension), [pattern](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-pattern.regularity), [randomness](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-randomness.unpredictable)

**Through:** Space and time provide possible locations and moments, pattern.regularity fails to repeat, and randomness.unpredictable breaks expectation, together making outcomes unresolved.

**Novel properties:**
- unresolved outcome
- potential for surprise

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*Canonical: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-uncertainty.epistemic*  
*Structured data: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-uncertainty.epistemic.json*  
*Every definition provably resolves to space, time, energy and pattern.*