Ignorance

Ignorance is lack of knowledge regarding a particular subject. It should not be confused with stupidity; many people might be uninformed (ignorant) about the facts of, say, evolution, but are quite knowledgeable (not stupid) on many other subjects. Education (below or at university level) tends not to instill reasoning power, but teaches how to pass various tests. The competition of peer pressure and religious teaching can easily overwhelm the teaching of compulsory (and therefore less liked by students) secular education. The beliefs of parents are the third leg of information input. It ain't the poor dear's fault—it's the fault of the system. Homeschooled people might receive misinformation from all three education directions.

Thinking hardly
or hardly thinking?
Philosophy
Major trains of thought
The good, the bad
and the brain fart
Come to think of it
v - t - e
“”Where ignorance is bliss, 'Tis folly to be wise.
—Thomas Gray[1]
“”The realm of ignorance is so vast that no one volume can fully cover all of it.
— Ilya Somin on the Routledge International Handbook of Ignorance Studies[2]

Propaganda is the attempt to influence the ignorant by pushing information with a particular point of view (POV).

Remember: your propaganda is my information (and vice versa).

Of course "ignorance ≠ stupidity" has the corollary "knowledge ≠ intelligence." The guy who wins the quiz down at the pub is in all probability not the most intelligent, just the most knowledgeable about trivia.

Ignorantia juris non excusat (ignorance of the law is no excuse) is a general legal principle that means ignorance will not help in one's defense. Using ignorance as an excuse is different that using lack of intent as an excuse, which will work for some crimes, such as perjury which requires intent, but not for making a false statement while under oath, which does not require intent.

See also
  • Willful ignorance — not so much being ignorant than failing to acknowledge facts
  • Faith
  • Dunning-Kruger effect — a phenomenon wherein when someone is uninformed about a given subject, they tend to overestimate their knowledge and competence at it, and vice versa

Notes
  1. Albeit quite snarky information

References
  1. http://www.thomasgray.org/cgi-bin/display.cgi?text=odec#99
  2. Everything you ever wanted to know about ignorance, but were afraid to ask – the Routledge International Handbook of Ignorance Studies by Ilya Somin (June 16, 2015) The Washington Post.
This education-related article is a stub.
You can help RationalWiki by expanding it.
This article is issued from Rationalwiki. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.