Hisham was invited to give this year’s lectio magistralis at the Gregor von Rezzori Prize 2024, in the church of Santa Croce in Florence. Sandoe’s is proud to publish his essay based on that lecture, in which he explores knowledge and uncertainty, the particular and the general, connection and discontinuity, with gentle, oblique brilliance. This piece addresses matters that concern us all, especially as we see tragedy unfold in the Middle East. All profits will be donated to Medical Aid for Palestinians and Médecins Sans Frontières.