 | Ignorance: Encyclopedia - Ignorance
Ignorance
Ignorance is a lack of knowledge, or a willful lack of desire to improve the efficiency, merit, effectiveness or usefulness of one's actions. Ignorance is also a "state of being ignorant" or unaware/uninformed. Ex: "In debate class Bill lost the debate because he was ignorant in (without knowledge of) that subject."
In politics, it is almost always used as a pejorative label, but some political movements have raised it to an ideal, for instance the Know-Nothings of the 19th century United States and some peasant and agrarian movements. This is usually simply a rejection of academia and professions and other power structures that assume they are intellectual superiors, that should be accorded deference by others.
In philosophy, the study of ignorance is paired with the study of knowledge, both of which are central to epistemology. Secular philosophies generally condemn ignorance as illustrated in the classic story, A Christmas Carol where the Ghost of Christmas Present reveals to Scrooge the childlike personifications of the major afflictions of the world, want and ignorance, and the fact that the latter is more harmful.
Despite the admonition in some faiths that ignorance is bliss, most religions are adamant that it does more harm than good. For instance, Islam views ignorance as a particular and unique evil that can and should easily be dispelled: "Seek knowledge, even as far as China." - Muhammad.
In a society with a strong hierarchy or caste system, ignorance of the concerns of those one does not work or deal with directly may aid labour specialization, reduce jealousy and dissent, and otherwise serve the interests of social harmony. In such a society, any mass media tends to be carefully controlled, and inquiry into forbidden knowledge tends to be punished severely.
When cultures meet, ignorance can become particularly dangerous, as one's inability to comprehend the customs of others can lead to offense and thus harm. When Europeans began colonization of North America, there were many incidents in which conflict arose from unintended misunderstandings. There were of course also many bona fide clashes of values and bigotry - a particularly noxious byproduct of ignorance being racism and intolerance. In today's society, African, European and Asian cultures praise and reward those who endeavor to overcome ignorance and promote tolerance of diversity.
What is different is by and large seen as dangerous and threatening in animal cognition.
In humans, ignorance of another's lifeways or circumstances, failure to empathize with his or her experience, is cited in political science as one of the most common causes of conflict. Thus to build common experiences, e.g. to plant olive trees in regions where they have been torn up due to conflict, and learn at the same time, is thought to be one of the most effective forms of education and also of peacemaking. Crick's political virtues emphasize this kind of skill and activity where it is difficult or impossible to actually share perspectives.
See also
- Trust
- Doubt
- Secrecy
- Stupidity
- List of ethics topics
Category: Core issues in ethics
Other related archives19th century, A Christmas Carol, China, Core issues in ethics, Crick, Doubt, Europeans, Islam, Know-Nothings, List of ethics topics, Muhammad, North America, Secrecy, Stupidity, Trust, United States, academia, animal cognition, bigotry, caste, colonization, dissent, diversity, education, empathize, epistemology, evil, experience, hierarchy, ideal, jealousy, knowledge, labour specialization, lifeways, mass media, olive trees, peacemaking, philosophy, political movements, political science, political virtues, politics, power structures, professions, racism, religions, society, tolerance, values
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