Uncertainty Is Information

Uncertainty is not empty space around knowledge. It is information about the state of inquiry.

QLens should be able to distinguish:

• not yet investigated;
• insufficient evidence;
• conflicting evidence;
• ambiguous interpretation;
• method limitation;
• unresolved scope;
• low-confidence inference;
• genuine indeterminacy.

Collapsing all of these into “unknown” loses important guidance. Conversely, assigning a precise numerical confidence without a defensible method creates false rigor.

The research space should express uncertainty at the level justified by the work. Honest ambiguity is more valuable than decorative precision.