Ignorance Breeds More Ignorance
In reality, everyone is ignorant, but to varying degrees. Ignorance indicates a lack of knowledge or experience. It is precisely a lack of knowledge that makes the ignorant become fierce and suspicious, so much so that they can become enemies of people who have other experiences and other knowledge.
Wise people, on the other hand, know that much of their virtue lies in the awareness of their ignorance, like Socrates. This awareness allows them to see the reality behind how limited we are among the infinity that surrounds us, and reunites them with their true nature.
These virtuous people stay away from rivalry, making it rare for them to have enemies or friends affected by greed and excessive desire.
People who ignore their own cognitive limitations are blinded by their own vision, making it impossible to communicate firmly with them. Anything that does not fit into their pattern of acceptance is a cause for conflict, which can be resolved in any way except that they admit that they are wrong.
Ignorance makes people bold enough to assume that they already know everything. These besserwissrar can be explained by the Dunning-Kruger effect, which is a form of misconception. It refers to people who tend to overestimate how much they know, whether it is the amount of knowledge they believe they possess or the security with which they equate their personal opinions with incontrovertible facts.
This type of false self-image was discovered by professors David Dunning and Justin Kruger from Cornell University in 1999. Both researchers began analyzing studies that suggested that ignorance gives people more self-confidence than knowledge. They specifically referred to activities such as driving, chess and sports.
Ignoring our ignorance is the source of many conflicts. People do not create enemies for no reason, and one reason is that someone feels attacked or discredited. This in turn is a product of their own omnipotence.
Part of wisdom is knowing what you do not know, opening the door and finding the motivation to learn about it. From this point of view , humility goes hand in hand with wisdom. We must be less ashamed of acknowledging our ignorance, so that we can take advantage of more opportunities for learning.
This is something children are very good at. They always ask what things are, what their purpose is and how they work.
Most people do not understand how the human body works and know nothing about the complicated biological and chemical processes that take place within it, but we judge people who recognize it.
In cases like these , we see people’s ignorance of their ignorance. This happens when no one wants to look stupid, as if it were the worst thing that could happen.
Acknowledging your own ignorance will give you the golden key to knowledge and wisdom. It allows you to understand human plasticity. The next time someone marks you as ignorant, you should therefore not take it badly. Thank instead of the reminder and encourage the person to learn more, or invite them to learn with you.
Most people talk too much and know too little. If you want to stand out from the crowd in the naive majority, you should nurture your knowledge and take moments of silence so that you can listen and invite curiosity.
