Is Ignorance Better Than Knowledge?

Is ignorance dangerous?

Yes and no. Ignorance is not dangerous as long as the ignorant is aware of his or her ignorance. The real danger lies in believing that one knows something one doesn't really know at all.

Why?

Because if you know you do not know, you do not base conclusions or actions on your ignorance. If you believe you know, however, you act as if you knew, and then you will make innumerable mistakes. If it is really bad, you will cause serious harm - both to yourself and to others.

It is as misunderstandings. They are not dangerous as long as you are aware of that they may indeed be misunderstandings. But the moment you believe you have understood what, in fact, you have only misunderstood, you are on a slippery slope. Anatole France was right when he wrote “It is better to understand little than to misunderstand a lot.”

You meet them everywhere, in everyday life, in science, in politics... the people who believe they know, although they do not know at all. They are the most dangerous humans in the world and they become the great destroyers.

Perhaps we don't really know anything? We have some subjective knowledge, but objective so-called knowledge should always be treated with some scepticism. It might be wrong!

To avoid the hubris of believing we possess absolute knowledge, maybe we should keep in mind this joke:

One man says “Only idiots are ever sure about anything.”

The other replies: “Are you sure of that?”

The answer comes quickly: “Yes!”

Scientists often suffer from this hubris. They believe they really know, while they are in fact dealing with theories, models and hypotheses. It is not uncommon, however, that the model is confused with the reality it models and its limitations are forgotten or ignored. Moreover, a model is not true or false, it is practically useful because it corresponds to reality on certain points we have ennobled with importance. Remember the words of Konrad Lorenz:

"Truth in science can be defined as the working hypothesis best suited to open the way to the next better one."

Let's remain humble and refrain from being over-confident in our current knowledge. Keep the mind open for that cherished truths can change with time. We don't know everything - and everything we believe we know might be wrong.

“The full area of ignorance is not mapped; we are at present only exploring its fringes.”

(J.D. Bernal, 1901-1971, Irish scientist.)

Perhaps it is so that the more we know, the more ignorant we are. While the known area of our knowledge grows, the area of our known ignorance grows exponentially.

However, let's return to the title of this article: “Is Ignorance Better Than Knowledge?”

Of course the answer is no; knowledge is always better than ignorance, but only if it is indeed knowledge. Erroneous knowledge is worse than recognised ignorance.

“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”

(Daniel J. Boorstin, 1914-2004, American librarian & Historian.)

“He knows nothing; and he thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career.”

(George Bernard Shaw, 1856-1950, “Major Barbara”.

Shaw's influence on Western theatre is enormous. He won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1925.

“To know that you do not know is the best.
To think you know when you do not is a disease.
Recognizing this disease as a disease is to be free of it.

(Lao Tzu)

Lao Tzu or Laozi [Chinese: 老子], was a Chinese philosopher, considered the founder of Taoism and the author of Tao Te Ching. Beside (and equal to) Confucius, he is one of the most important pillars of Chinese culture. It is unclear though, how much of what is attributed to him he really did. Truth have been mixed with legend to a level where it can no longer be clearly distinguished. It is even unclear when he lived. Legend says 6th century BC, but historical research indicates 4th century BC.

“We do not know — neither the sophists, nor the orators, nor the artists, nor I— what the True, the Good, and the Beautiful are. But there is this difference between us: although these people know nothing, they all believe they know something; whereas, I, if I know nothing, at least have no doubts about it. As a result, all this superiority in wisdom which the oracle has attributed to me reduces itself to the single point that I am strongly convinced that I am ignorant of what I do not know.”

(Socrates, about 470-399 BC. Athenian philosopher, one of the most well-known and influential philosophers of the Western culture.)

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