Is Being Ignorant a Bad Thing
- Thread starter Ventus
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misskitten
Hello Sweetie!
I think there's a difference between acknowledging that you don't know something, and claiming to know something when you don't. It's perfectly okay to not know something, no one can know everything there is to know. We all have our areas of strengths and weaknesses, and that's how it should be. But when we talk about ignorance, we generally talk about people belonging to that other group, people who make statements based on assumptions, misconceptions, etc. And that is a problematic attitude.
If you're in a position to change the world or make a difference, then yes being ignorant can be very bad. It kind of depends on your responsibilities though. For a doctor being ignorant of advances in science is a very bad thing whereas being ignorant of potential distractions wouldn't be. Voting is something most people do which shouldn't be done if you're ignorant. Interestingly I think being a parent to a young child should consist of keeping your child at least somewhat ignorant of the evils of the world just so that they don't lose their innocence too young and can enjoy living in a bubble of youthful, blissful ignorance. So the repercussions of ignorance really depend on the situation I think.
Beauts
Rock and roll will never die
Personally I think ignorance is the worst thing in the world. It's okay to not know everything, that is normal. But ignorance to me is an arrogance about things, when people have an opinion on something they know nothing about. I think if ignorance, especially in attitude, prevails, it should be educated the heck out of people. Ignorance never has anything good come of it: bigotry, snobbery and apathy are all the spawn of ignorance and they are the three things in the world I have absolute contempt for. This may be more of a personal opinion, but I fail to see how ignorance can be a good thing. You should at least want to not be ignorant of things. I'm not expecting everyone to know everything, but you catch my drift.
Shadsie
Sage of Tales
You're probably okay as long as you know how ignorant you are and don't try to pretend to be an expert where you are, in fact, ignorant. Many, many people pretend to be smart while showing their ignorance, then whine when more knowledgeable and experienced people point out their ignorance. Don't be one of those.
Much of that is conflated with bigotry... (I, for instance, don't have a lick of respect for people who claim to know all that's needed to know about spiritual matters when they proudly proclaim they haven't done any research and act like casting even a sidelong glance at someone's scripture will melt their faces off). I don't have a lot of respect for men who claim to be experts on feminism and women's issues, either - maybe it's one thing if they've been involved with their wife/mother/sister or work in the medical profession, but if they're "white knighting" on behalf of my "kind" and show they don't know dip about me, that's another. Likewise, I don't think people have a clue about what mental illness is like unless they have one - and psychiatrists and therapists only come close.
And, for the love of ponies, if you're going to write stories involving characters riding horses everywhere, research the care and keeping of equines...
So, I'd say... "A bad thing if you pretend to be a know it all" about ignorance, but if it's an honest ignorance that you're willing to dispell via research, education, or *just talking to those scary, scary people who are different from you,* then, it's not such a bad thing. Children are ignorant of a lot, that's why good parents teach them and send them to school.
Then, there are some things that it's good to remain ignorant of all around. I want to forever remain ignorant of what it feels like to kill someone, for instance, or what it feels like to die by electrocution.
Much of that is conflated with bigotry... (I, for instance, don't have a lick of respect for people who claim to know all that's needed to know about spiritual matters when they proudly proclaim they haven't done any research and act like casting even a sidelong glance at someone's scripture will melt their faces off). I don't have a lot of respect for men who claim to be experts on feminism and women's issues, either - maybe it's one thing if they've been involved with their wife/mother/sister or work in the medical profession, but if they're "white knighting" on behalf of my "kind" and show they don't know dip about me, that's another. Likewise, I don't think people have a clue about what mental illness is like unless they have one - and psychiatrists and therapists only come close.
And, for the love of ponies, if you're going to write stories involving characters riding horses everywhere, research the care and keeping of equines...
So, I'd say... "A bad thing if you pretend to be a know it all" about ignorance, but if it's an honest ignorance that you're willing to dispell via research, education, or *just talking to those scary, scary people who are different from you,* then, it's not such a bad thing. Children are ignorant of a lot, that's why good parents teach them and send them to school.
Then, there are some things that it's good to remain ignorant of all around. I want to forever remain ignorant of what it feels like to kill someone, for instance, or what it feels like to die by electrocution.
Sydney
The Good Samaritan
Ventus said:
Going off of this definition, quite a lot of people in the world would be considered ignorant, which is rather unfair. People, such as children, lack knowledge and information due to their lack of complete education. But is it right to call them ignorant because of this? Truthfully, we all lack some knowledge and information, so does that make us all ignorant? I strongly feel the definition Ventus provided is either flawed or incomplete; however, in this case, being ignorant would not be a bad thing.
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Very well said.
I am dealing with one ignorant person .He claims to know everything about women how they feel , act and think.but infact he knows nothing.
What i understand that an ignorant person thinks he knows and understand everything but in real nothing. And this is something dangerous for himself and as well as people around him.
Children are innocent not ignorant.
And people never go to school are uneducated not ignorant.
Hope this makes sense.
Ragnarokio
AVATAR NOT BY JIMMU
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i think characterizing it as good or bad in the blanket sense is wrong. Ignorance is bad for some things. You wouldn't want someone who knows nothing about repairing a car repairing a car, for instance.
if you have no intention to repair cars then ignorance on how to repair a car is not a bad thing, obviously. I think that whether ignornace is a bad thing or not depends on what you are ignorant about and what kinds of things you need/want to do. I think that ignorance can also be a good thing sometimes, although probably more rarely. Knowing too much about certain things can make things difficult and depressing.
also waddup 2013
if you have no intention to repair cars then ignorance on how to repair a car is not a bad thing, obviously. I think that whether ignornace is a bad thing or not depends on what you are ignorant about and what kinds of things you need/want to do. I think that ignorance can also be a good thing sometimes, although probably more rarely. Knowing too much about certain things can make things difficult and depressing.
also waddup 2013