With the planet heating up, the urgent need to reduce uncertainty in climate projections could have consequences in the way Earth system models evolve. I argue that a period of confusion in the development of models can be beneficial and can lead to improved understanding and reduced uncertainty in due time. I have identified three phases of development in I have identified three phases of development in modeling- the illusion, the chaos, and the relief- through which models seem to evolve before their results can be said to approach the truth with some confidence.