# Ignorance Summary:: Lacking in knowledge or understanding. --- # References --- # References > “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.” ― Daniel J. Boorstin, Clipped from [Ignorance Quotes (2612 quotes)](https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/ignorance) at 2023-10-22. # Publication [Ignorance](https://clearthinking.substack.com/p/ignorance) [Political Justification for Ignorance](https://clearthinking.substack.com/p/political-justification-for-ignorance) # Ignorance # Introduction In my last article, I discussed the dangers of hate. In this article, I will discuss something about which I know nothing: **ignorance**. In some ways, ignorance may be more dangerous than hate. When you combine ignorance with hate, you may have a mental stew that could destroy societies. Because of its influence, I may devote more space to it in the future. # Definition To put the idea of ignorance in perspective, I want to use a graphic description, which I’ve provided below. (I would give attribution for this diagram if I could.) This graphic refers to two attributes of knowledge: **_competence_** and **_consciousness_**. I will describe each one of these briefly (starting in the lower right-hand corner and proceeding counterclockwise) and provide an example. Then, I will focus on the first two. ## Unconscious Incompetence _You don’t know what you don’t know._ I promised examples, but impossible to give an example of something about which you know nothing. The chances are, however, that this represents the largest portion of this model of knowledge. ## Conscious Incompetence _You know what you don’t know._ I know little or nothing about cosmology. I barely know how to spell it. But at least I know that I know nothing about it. ## Conscious Competence _You know what you know._ I have a significant amount of experience with photography. I might even claim to know something about it. However, when I take a photograph, I still have to think about the various aspects of photography. ## Unconscious Competence _You don’t know what you know._ Believe it or not, in 2023, I still drive a car with a manual transmission. I have done this for so long that I don’t have to think about what gear I’m using or how to shift into the next gear. ![[Attachments/Ignorance 1.jpg]] ![[Attachments/Ignorance.jpg]] For this discussion, I want to focus on incompetence, or what we don’t know. ## New Perspective Before I proceed, I would like to offer the following diagram. It has been said that the more you know, the more you don’t know. I have reworked the preceding diagram to reflect this aphorism. As human beings, despite the knowledge we have, we still don’t know a lot more than we do know. Ignorance.jpg Admitting to ignorance carries no shame. In this diagram, I have made a distinction between **caring** about ignorance and **not caring**. Those who care about their ignorance take care when they speak about things they know nothing about. Those who don’t care about their ignorance willingly comment about things about which they know little or nothing. # The Dangers of Ignorance I think you can see that the danger of ignorance comes from that second category of people: **_those willing to say things about which they know little or nothing_**. The dangers range from the relatively insignificant to those that are downright dangerous. Where to look for dangerous ignorance: ## People Ø Politicians Ø Teachers Ø Reporters Ø Researcher Ø Others ## Places Ø Congress Ø Government Bureaucracies Ø Elementary & High Schools Ø Colleges/Universities Ø Business Ø Social Media Ø Others # Conclusion We all have more that we don’t know than what we do know. Remember the importance of your knowledge about what you speak or write. “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”― Daniel J. Boorstin --- # References [[Political Ignorance]] > “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.” ― Daniel J. Boorstin, Clipped from [Ignorance Quotes (2612 quotes)](https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/ignorance) at 2023-10-22. # Publication [Ignorance](https://clearthinking.substack.com/p/ignorance) [Political Justification for Ignorance](https://clearthinking.substack.com/p/political-justification-for-ignorance) # Links [[Why ignorance fails to recognize itself]] # Ignorance # Introduction In my last article, I discussed the dangers of hate. In this article, I will discuss something about which I know nothing: **ignorance**. In some ways, ignorance may be more dangerous than hate. When you combine ignorance with hate, you may have a mental stew that could destroy societies. Because of its influence, I may devote more space to it in the future. # Definition To put the idea of ignorance in perspective, I want to use a graphic description, which I’ve provided below. (I would give attribution for this diagram if I could.) This graphic refers to two attributes of knowledge: **_competence_** and **_consciousness_**. I will describe each one of these briefly (starting in the lower right-hand corner and proceeding counterclockwise) and provide an example. Then, I will focus on the first two. ## Unconscious Incompetence _You don’t know what you don’t know._ I promised examples, but impossible to give an example of something about which you know nothing. The chances are, however, that this represents the largest portion of this model of knowledge. ## Conscious Incompetence _You know what you don’t know._ I know little or nothing about cosmology. I barely know how to spell it. But at least I know that I know nothing about it. ## Conscious Competence _You know what you know._ I have a significant amount of experience with photography. I might even claim to know something about it. However, when I take a photograph, I still have to think about the various aspects of photography. ## Unconscious Competence _You don’t know what you know._ Believe it or not, in 2023, I still drive a car with a manual transmission. I have done this for so long that I don’t have to think about what gear I’m using or how to shift into the next gear. ![[Attachments/Ignorance 1.jpg]] ![[Attachments/Ignorance.jpg]] For this discussion, I want to focus on incompetence, or what we don’t know. ## New Perspective Before I proceed, I would like to offer the following diagram. It has been said that the more you know, the more you don’t know. I have reworked the preceding diagram to reflect this aphorism. As human beings, despite the knowledge we have, we still don’t know a lot more than we do know. Ignorance.jpg Admitting to ignorance carries no shame. In this diagram, I have made a distinction between **caring** about ignorance and **not caring**. Those who care about their ignorance take care when they speak about things they know nothing about. Those who don’t care about their ignorance willingly comment about things about which they know little or nothing. # The Dangers of Ignorance I think you can see that the danger of ignorance comes from that second category of people: **_those willing to say things about which they know little or nothing_**. The dangers range from the relatively insignificant to those that are downright dangerous. Where to look for dangerous ignorance: ## People Ø Politicians Ø Teachers Ø Reporters Ø Researcher Ø Others ## Places Ø Congress Ø Government Bureaucracies Ø Elementary & High Schools Ø Colleges/Universities Ø Business Ø Social Media Ø Others # Conclusion We all have more that we don’t know than what we do know. Remember the importance of your knowledge about what you speak or write. “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”― Daniel J. Boorstin