Please%20read%20the%20text%20carefully.%20Identify%20the%20main%20topic%20and%20key%20points%20covered%20in%20the%20text.%20%0AWrite%20a%20concise%20summary%20of%20the%20text,%20focusing%20solely%20on%20the%20main%20topic%20and%20key%20points%20you%20identified.%20Optimize%20the%20summary%20for%20clear%20audio%20narration.%20Dont%20use%20bullets.%20Your%20output%20should%20contain%20only%20the%20summary%20text%20itself.%20Do%20not%20include%20any%20explanations,%20introduction,%20or%20other%20extraneous%20text.%20The%20summary%20should%20be%20able%20to%20stand%20alone.don't%20say%20here%20is%20a%20concise%20summary%20of%20the%20text.%20%0AHere%20is%20the%20text%20to%20summarize.%20don't%20say%20here%20is%20a%20concise%20summary%20of%20the%20text.%20%0A%3Ctext%3E%0A%0ASKIP%20TO%20CONTENT%0A%0A%0AOpen%20the%20Main%20Navigation%0A%0ASearch%0A%0ASUBSCRIBE%0ATHINKING%20%E2%80%94%20DECEMBER%208,%202024%0APlato%E2%80%99s%20cave%20and%20the%20stubborn%20persistence%20of%20ignorance%0APlato%E2%80%99s%20cave%20metaphor%20illustrates%20the%20cognitive%20trap%20of%20ignorance,%20where%20we%20may%20be%20unaware%20of%20the%20limitations%20of%20our%20understanding.%0A%0ABruno%20van%20der%20Kraan%20/%20Unsplash%0ADaniel%20R.%20DeNicola%0A%0ACopy%20a%20link%20to%20the%20article%20entitled%20http://Plato%E2%80%99s%2520cave%2520and%2520the%2520stubborn%2520persistence%2520of%2520ignorance%0A%0AShare%20Plato%E2%80%99s%20cave%20and%20the%20stubborn%20persistence%20of%20ignorance%20on%20Facebook%0A%0AShare%20Plato%E2%80%99s%20cave%20and%20the%20stubborn%20persistence%20of%20ignorance%20on%20Twitter%20(X)%0A%0AShare%20Plato%E2%80%99s%20cave%20and%20the%20stubborn%20persistence%20of%20ignorance%20on%20LinkedIn%0ASTORY%20BY%0A%0ASign%20up%20for%20the%20Smarter%20Faster%20newsletter%0AA%20weekly%20newsletter%20featuring%20the%20biggest%20ideas%20from%20the%20smartest%20people%0A%0A%0AThe%20most%20memorable%20image%20of%20ignorance%20occurs%20in%20what%20is%20probably%20the%20most%20famous%20passage%20of%20all%20philosophy:%20Plato%E2%80%99s%20Allegory%20of%20the%20Cave%20in%20%E2%80%9CThe%20Republic.%E2%80%9D%20Recall%20the%20scenario:%20human%20beings%20dwelling%20in%20the%20darkness%20of%20an%20underground%20cavern,%20bound%20at%20the%20legs%20and%20neck%20so%20that%20they%20cannot%20move,%20even%20to%20turn%20their%20heads.%20They%20have%20no%20other%20memory%20of%20life,%20since%20they%20have%20been%20imprisoned%20in%20this%20way%20since%20childhood.%20Before%20them,%20they%20see%20only%20moving%20shadows%20that%20are%20cast%20by%20objects%20unknown%20to%20them,%20illumined%20by%20a%20flickering%20fire%20that%20we%20are%20told%20lies%20somewhere%20behind%20them.%20They%20know%20nothing%20of%20this%20except%20the%20shadows%20and%20hear%20only%20echoes%20from%20the%20voices%20of%20their%20keepers,%20whom%20they%20have%20never%20seen.%20In%20such%20a%20benighted%20state,%20they%20pass%20their%20days.%0AThis%20place%20of%20ignorance%20is%20not%20only%20a%20dark%20cave;%20it%20is%20a%20prison,%20a%20deprivation%20chamber.%20As%20we%20imagine%20this%20predicament,%20what%20we%20are%20likely%20to%20feel%20acutely%20is%20an%20epistemic%20claustrophobia,%20the%20absence%20of%20freedom%20in%20any%20meaningful%20sense,%20and%20the%20numbness%20and%20despair%20that%20would%20set%20in%20from%20such%20a%20deprived%20routine.%20Freedom%20is%20primordially%20the%20ability%20to%20move%20our%20body.%20Beyond%20being%20our%20basic%20capacity%20for%20meeting%20our%20needs,%20bodily%20movement,%20including%20change%20of%20place,%20leads%20us%20to%20new%20experiences,%20permits%20learning,%20and%20generates%20perspective.%20But%20confined%20in%20such%20profound%20ignorance,%20the%20world%20of%20experience%20is%20severely%20restricted.%20Plato%20regards%20such%20a%20plight%20as%20worse%20than%20imprisonment,%20worse%20than%20servitude,%20more%20like%20death:%20he%20says,%20quoting%20the%20%E2%80%9COdyssey,%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%9CBetter%20to%20be%20the%20humble%20servant%20of%20a%20poor%20master%20and%20to%20endure%20anything,%20than%20to%20live%20and%20believe%20as%20they%20do%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%94%20and%20the%20Homeric%20reference%20here%20is%20to%20the%20dead%20who%20dwell%20in%20Hades.%20As%20Plato%20expects,%20we%20feel%20deep%20sadness%20at%20the%20absence%20of%20any%20chance%20to%20understand%20anything,%20to%20achieve%20anything%20of%20value,%20or%20to%20experience%20anything%20of%20beauty.%C2%A0The%20horror%20of%20ignorance%20is%20incapacity.%0AAs%20Plato%20expects,%20we%20feel%20deep%20sadness%20at%20the%20absence%20of%20any%20chance%20to%20understand%20anything,%20to%20achieve%20anything%20of%20value,%20or%20to%20experience%20anything%20of%20beauty.%0AThis%20account%20of%20their%20predicament%20is%20not,%20of%20course,%20one%20that%20the%20prisoners%20themselves%20would%20%E2%80%94%20or%20could%20%E2%80%94%20offer.%20They%20do%20not%20and%20cannot%20understand%20their%20situation,%20since%20all%20of%20life%E2%80%99s%20experiences%20are%20but%20shifting%20shadows%20and%20echoes.%20Plato%20says%20that%20the%20%E2%80%9Cprisoners%20would%20in%20every%20way%20believe%20that%20the%20truth%20is%20nothing%20other%20than%20the%20shadows.%E2%80%9D%20Indeed%20they%20would%20not%20suspect%20that%20the%20things%20they%20see%20are%20but%20shadows,%20nor%20even%20have%20the%20concept%20of%20a%20shadow.%20They%20pass%20the%20time%20in%20trivial%20games%20of%20shadow-prediction,%20unaware%20of%20their%20keepers,%20the%20fire,%20or%20the%20parade%20of%20objects%20behind%20them.%20Though%20they%20are%20troglodytes%C2%A0in%20extremis,%20they%20do%20not%20feel%20claustrophobic%20or%20deprived.%20The%20actual%20circumstances%20of%20their%20confinement%20in%20the%20dark%20cavern,%20the%20possibility%20of%20a%20way%20up%20and%20out,%20and%20indeed%20the%20notion%20that%20there%20may%20be%20an%20incandescent%20world%20of%20wonders%20to%20ascend%20to,%20are%20unknown%20and%20unsuspected.%20Life%20is%20what%20it%20is,%20what%20it%20has%20always%20been;%20they%20do%20what%20they%20do%20and%20feel%20what%20they%20feel%20because%20they%20know%20nothing%20else.%20They%20are%20ignorant.%20But%C2%A0we%C2%A0know%20%E2%80%A6%20and%20it%20is%20terrifying.%20Because%20Plato%20has,%20through%20his%20narrative,%20given%20us%20privileged%20knowledge%20of%20their%20situation,%20we%20know%20what%20they%20do%20not;%20we%20can%20affirm%20their%20ignorance.%0A%0AThe%20Cave%20is%20a%20fiction,%20of%20course.%20With%20a%20shudder,%20we%20gratefully%20distance%20ourselves%20and%20our%20lives%20from%20that%20bizarre%20place%20and%20its%20%E2%80%9Cstrange%20prisoners.%E2%80%9D%20We%20breathe%20deeply%20the%20air%20of%20the%20sunlit%20world.%20But%20then,%20almost%20off-handedly,%20comes%20Plato%E2%80%99s%20stark%20and%20chilling%20statement:%20%E2%80%9CThey%E2%80%99re%20like%20us.%E2%80%9D%0ARecognizing%20Ignorance%0AAre%C2%A0we%20like%20these%20cave%20dwellers%3F%20Is%20this%20gloomy%20cave%20the%20image%20of%20the%20womb%20from%20which%20we%20were%20all%20thrust%20unknowing%20into%20the%20light%3F%20But%20do%20we%20not%20then%20quickly%20overcome%20this%20primal%20oblivion%20%E2%80%94%20or%20do%20we%20all%20still%20dwell%20in%20a%20place%20of%20such%20abysmal%20ignorance%3F%20To%20think%20this%20through,%20I%20want%20to%20reverse%20Plato%E2%80%99s%20approach:%20Rather%20than%20describing%20how%20we%20may%20know%20the%20truth,%20let%20us%20consider%C2%A0how%20we%20recognize%20ignorance.%0AObviously,%20no%20one%20is%20born%20educated;%20and%20every%20educated%20person%20is,%20at%20any%20given%20moment,%20ignorant%20about%20many%20things.%20Often,%20it%20is%20easy%20to%20pinpoint%20our%20ignorance%20quite%20precisely.%20Though%20you%20may%20have%20acquired%20considerable%20knowledge%20about%20a%20subject,%20say,%20automobiles,%20you%20may%20not%20know%20a%20particular%20arcane%20fact%20%E2%80%94%20for%20example,%20the%20number%20of%20carburetors%20that%20were%20standard%20in%20a%201955%20Singer%20roadster.%20You%20simply%20lack%20a%20piece%20of%20information.%20In%20this%20common%20form%20of%20factual%20ignorance,%20should%20the%20question%20arise,%20you%20are%20able%20to%20specify%20exactly%20the%20datum%20you%20lack.%20Based%20on%20what%20you%20already%20know,%20you%20comprehend%20fully%20what%20you%20need%20to%20learn,%20even%20before%20you%20learn%20it%20%E2%80%94%20you%20know%20what%20to%20%E2%80%9Clook%20up%E2%80%9D%20or%20to%20search%20for.%20And%20you%20even%20already%20know%20the%20sort%20of%20fact%20that%20will%20constitute%20the%20answer%20%E2%80%94%20%E2%80%9Cone%E2%80%9D%20or%20%E2%80%9Ctwo,%E2%80%9D%20for%20example,%20and%20not%20%E2%80%9Cone%20hundred%E2%80%9D%20and%20certainly%20not%20%E2%80%9Cred%E2%80%9D%20or%20%E2%80%9Cmammalian%E2%80%9D%20carburetors.%0ASuppose,%20however,%20that%20you%20had%20never%20heard%20of%20the%20Singer%20automobile.%20Despite%20your%20familiarity%20with%20antique%20automobile%20manufacturers%20and%20models,%20you%20might%20be%20surprised%20to%20learn%20of%20a%20make%20or%20model%20that%20had%20escaped%20your%20notice.%20Or,%20imagine%20that%20you,%20somewhat%20less%20expert,%20only%20knew%20the%20names%20of%20a%20few%20sports%20car%20manufacturers.%20In%20either%20case,%20you%20would%20have%20some%20sense%20of%20what%20acquiring%20such%20new%20knowledge%20would%20be%20like;%20you%20could%20specify%20its%20parameters%20beforehand.%20You%20would%20grasp%20in%20a%20general%20way%20what%20learning%20about%20an%20unfamiliar%20automaker%20would%20entail;%20and%20given%20that%20possibility,%20you%20could%20identify%20what%20it%20is%20you%20do%20not%20know%20%E2%80%94%20albeit%20with%20less%20precision%20than%20in%20the%20first%20case.%20Such%20factual%20ignorance%20can%20be%20delineated%20in%20this%20way%20because%20you%20possess%20other%20general,%20relevant%20knowledge%20(in%20this%20case,%20knowledge%20about%20cars,%20their%20manufacturers,%20the%20meaning%20of%20%E2%80%9Croadster,%E2%80%9D%20and%20so%20on).%20In%20these%20ordinary%20situations,%20it%20is%20the%20knowledge%20we%20possess%20that%20serves%20to%20awaken%20and%20focus%20our%20sense%20of%20our%20own%20ignorance.%0AOur%20world%20is%20vast,%20however.%20There%20are%20whole%20realms%20of%20knowledge%20of%20which%20each%20of%20us%20is%20ignorant,%20though%20the%20list,%20if%20we%20could%20make%20one,%20is%20different%20for%20each%20person.%20You%20may%20be%20unusually%20well%20educated,%20perhaps%20possessing%20expertise%20in%20several%20fields,%20and%20yet,%20when%20it%20comes%20to,%20say,%20ichthyology%20or%20Chinese%20porcelain%20or%20deltiology%20or%20Sanskrit%20grammar,%20you%20are%20lost.%20In%20such%20cases,%20our%20sense%20of%20what%20we%20don%E2%80%99t%20know%20isn%E2%80%99t%20as%20sharp;%20we%20are%20less%20sure%20that%20we%20understand%20what%20it%20would%20mean%20to%20know%20such%20things.%20Nevertheless,%20if%20we%20know%20the%20meaning%20of%20the%20relevant%20terms,%20if%20we%20are%20familiar%20with%20parallel%20or%20related%20subjects,%20we%20may%20have%20some%20sense%20of%20what%20such%20missing%20knowledge%20would%20involve.%20(If%20you%20know%20English,%20Latin,%20and%20Greek%20grammar,%20for%20instance,%20you%20will%20have%20a%20clearer%20idea%20of%20what%20it%20would%20mean%20to%20learn%20Sanskrit%20grammar%20than%20if%20you%20had%20never%20studied%20any%20grammar.)%20Of%20course,%20you%20might%20really%20have%20no%20desire%20to%20learn%20about%20such%20facts%20or%20fields;%20indeed,%20you%20might%20ignore%20them,%20avoid%20them,%20or%20even%20resist%20attempts%20to%20be%20informed%20or%20taught%20about%20them.%20Or,%20you%20might%20decide%20to%20master%20them%20or%20to%20learn%20more%20about%20them.%20In%20these%20cases%20also,%20we%20can%20identify%20what%20we%20have%20not%20learned,%20at%20least%20to%20some%20level%20of%20specification.%0A%0ASo,%20let%20us%20pause%20to%20amend%20a%20fundamental%20point:%C2%A0ignorance%20may%20be%20recognized%20and%20ascribed%20only%20from%20the%20perspective%20of%20knowledge,%20and%20the%20knowledge%20we%20possess%20determines%20the%20degree%20of%20specificity%20of%20the%20ignorance%20we%20recognize%20and%20serves%20to%20characterize%20the%20ignorance%20and%20its%20importance.%C2%A0This%20is%20why%20we%20readers%20of%20Plato%20can%20recognize%20that%20cavern%20as%20a%20place%20of%20profound%20ignorance,%20lacking%20in%20truth%20and%20sustained%20by%20deception.%0AUtter%20ignorance,%20however,%20for%20which%20the%20dictionary%20offers%20the%20term%C2%A0ignoration,%20is%20yet%20more%20profound:%20The%20prisoners%20in%20Plato%E2%80%99s%20Cave%20do%C2%A0not%C2%A0know%C2%A0what%C2%A0they%20do%20not%20know;%20they%20do%20not%20even%20know%C2%A0that%C2%A0they%20do%20not%20know.%20They%20dwell%20in%20ignorance,%20but%20cannot%20recognize%20it.%20Ignoration%20is%20thus%20a%20predicament,%20a%20trap%20%E2%80%94%20one%20that%20is%20not%20comprehended%20by%20those%20who%20are%20caught%20in%20it%20and%20dwell%20there.%20In%20a%20sense,%20they%20are%20not%20in%20a%20place%20at%20all:%20Theirs%20is%20rather%20a%20placelessness%20in%20which%20one%20doesn%E2%80%99t%20even%20know%20one%20is%20lost.%0AFortunately,%20this%20trap,%20like%20a%20Chinese%20finger%20puzzle,%20has%20a%20simple%20solution:%20learning.%20And%20yet,%20it%20is%20remarkable%20that%20an%20escape%20occurs%20%E2%80%94%20how%20does%20one%20come%20to%20learn%20what%20one%20does%20not%20know%20one%20does%20not%20know%3F%20After%20all,%20the%20prisoners%20have%20no%20ability%20to%20free%20themselves;%20more%20to%20the%20point,%20they%20have%20no%20motivation%20to%20escape,%20since%20even%20that%20desire%20would%20presuppose%20a%20sense%20of%20possibility%20they%20lack.%20Their%20bondage%20seems%20natural%20to%20them;%20it%20is%20their%20form%20of%20life;%20nothing%20better%20calls%20to%20them.%20They%20cannot%20see%20their%20ignorance%C2%A0as%C2%A0ignorance.%20As%20the%20influential%20Muslim%20philosopher%20Al-Ghazzali%20put%20it:%20%E2%80%9CHeedlessness%20is%20an%20illness%20which%20the%20afflicted%20person%20cannot%20cure%20himself.%E2%80%9D%0AIn%20Plato%E2%80%99s%20account,%20the%20unenlightened%20must%20rely%20on%20accident%20or%20the%20beneficent%20intervention%20of%20others%20for%20the%20critical%20first%20step:%20A%20prisoner%20is%20released%20from%20his%20bonds%20by%20happenstance%20(phusei)%20or%20by%20an%20implied%20other%20%E2%80%94%20%E2%80%9Cone%20of%20them%20was%20freed.%E2%80%9D%20What%20follows%20his%20release%20is%20not%20a%20swift%20and%20purposeful%20escape%20motivated%20by%20eager%20anticipation%20of%20the%20waiting%20outside%20world;%20it%20is%20only%20the%20slow,%20hesitant,%20gradual,%20painful%20process%20of%20learning%20itself.%20The%20newly%20released%20prisoner%20is%20hardly%20keen%20for%20enlightenment:%20He%20is%20%E2%80%9Ccompelled%20to%20stand%20up,%20to%20turn%20his%20head,%E2%80%9D%20and%20he%20is%20%E2%80%9Cpained%20and%20dazzled%20and%20unable%20to%20see%20the%20things%20whose%20shadows%20he%E2%80%99d%20seen%20before.%E2%80%9D%20He%20is%20stupefied%20and%20wants%20to%20return%20to%20life%20as%20he%20knew%20it.%20Plato%20asks,%20%E2%80%9CAnd%20if%20someone%20dragged%20him%20away%20from%20there%20by%20force,%20up%20the%20rough,%20steep%20path,%20and%20didn%E2%80%99t%20let%20him%20go%20until%20he%20had%20dragged%20him%20into%20the%20sunlight,%20wouldn%E2%80%99t%20he%20be%20pained%20and%20irritated%20at%20being%20treated%20that%20way%3F%E2%80%9D%20Who%20the%20%E2%80%9Csomeone%E2%80%9D%20is%20doesn%E2%80%99t%20matter%20at%20this%20point%20(except%20that%20it%20cannot%20be%20another%20prisoner),%20but%20it%20is%20clear%20that%20this%20is%20an%20educational%20intervention:%20It%20is%20necessary%20for%20finding%20the%20truth,%20it%20is%20initiated%20from%20without,%20and%20it%20is%20initially%20coercive,%20requiring%20the%20forceful%20overcoming%20of%20the%20learner%E2%80%99s%20resistance.%20%E2%80%9CHe%E2%80%99d%20need%20time%20to%20get%20adjusted%20before%20he%20could%20see%20things%20in%20the%20world%20above,%E2%80%9D%20Plato%20acknowledges.%20But%20eventually,%20as%20understanding%20flows%20into%20him,%20%E2%80%9Che%E2%80%99d%20count%20himself%20happy%20for%20the%20change%20and%20pity%20the%20others.%E2%80%9D%20He%20finally%20comes%20to%20know%20the%20sunlit%20world%20of%20wonders;%20and%20then%20he%20understands,%20with%20horror,%20what%20his%20condition%20was%20in%20the%20Cave.%20And,%20as%20we%20have%20heard,%20he%20would%20rather%20undergo%20anything%20than%20return%20to%20that%20place%20of%20ignorance.%0AHuman%20beings%20tend%20to%20prefer%20cognitive%20comfort,%20the%20reinforcement%20of%20the%20familiar,%20to%20an%20encounter%20with%20the%20unknown.%0APlato%20thus%20legitimates%20the%20claim%20of%20educational%20paternalism,%20the%20infamous,%20age-old%20dictum%20that%20parents%20say%20to%20their%20children%20and%20teachers%20repeat%20to%20their%20students%20regarding%20all%20sorts%20of%20coerced%20activities:%20%E2%80%9CYou%20will%20thank%20me%20for%20it%20one%20day,%20because%20then%20you%20will%20understand.%E2%80%9D%20His%20justification%20rests%20on%20the%20distinctions%20between%20knowledge,%20mere%20belief,%20and%20ignorance,%20and%20on%20the%20transformation%20of%20the%20soul%20that%20learning%20can%20produce.%20Regardless%20of%20the%20likelihood%20of%20later%20gratitude,%20however,%20if%20accident%20or%20intervention%20or%20coercion%20is%20required%20to%20start%20one%20on%20the%20path%20of%20learning,%20then%20the%20escape%20from%20utter%20ignorance%20is%20not%20self-motivated.%20(In%20other%20dialogues,%20especially%20%E2%80%9CSymposium,%E2%80%9D%20Plato%20implies%20that%20eros%20provides%20the%20initial%20impulse%20and%20the%20sustaining%20motivation%20for%20pursuing%20the%20good,%20the%20true,%20and%20the%20beautiful.)And%20that%20does%20not%20seem%20surprising.%20Would%20it%20be%20reasonable%20to%20pursue%20a%20goal%20that%20one%20does%20not%20possess%20and%20cannot%20envision%3F%20A%20self-initiated%20escape%20would%20not%20be%20a%20reasonable%20decision%20or%20even%20a%20live%20option.%0ABut%20that%20explains%20only%20why%20the%20prisoner%20would%20not%20seek%20to%20escape.%20What%20explains%20his%20resistance%20to%20freedom%20and%20the%20need%20for%20coercion%3F%20One%20factor%20is%20that,%20in%20general,%20human%20beings%20tend%20to%20prefer%20cognitive%20comfort,%20the%20reinforcement%20of%20the%20familiar,%20to%20an%20encounter%20with%20the%20unknown.%20Learning%20may%20disrupt%20our%20cognitive%20comfort;%20it%C2%A0displaces%20us.%20Education%20requires%20us%20to%20revise%20or%20abandon%20our%20routines,%20recipes,%20and%20rituals%20%E2%80%94%20life%20as%20we%20know%20it%20%E2%80%94%20and%20to%20do%20so%20we%20must%20overcome%20a%20kind%20of%20natural%20cognitive%20inertia.%20A%20place%20of%20ignorance%20can%20be%20a%20sturdy%20nest%20of%20cognitive%20comfort%20for%20those%20who%20dwell%20within.%0APlato%E2%80%99s%20benighted%20cave%20dwellers%20believe%20they%20already%20know%20the%20important%20truths%C2%A0%E2%80%94%20%E2%80%9CThen%20the%20prisoners%20would%20in%20every%20way%20believe%20that%20the%20truth%20is%20nothing%20other%20than%20the%20shadows%20of%20those%20artifacts.%E2%80%9D%C2%A0We%C2%A0know,%20of%20course,%20that%20their%20%E2%80%9Cknowledge%E2%80%9D%20is%20not%20worthy%20of%20the%20name;%20it%20is%20no%20more%20than%20pointless%20familiarity%20with%20contrived%20images.%20And%20when%20forced%20to%20widen%20their%20experience%20and%20confront%20their%20illusory%20situation,%20they%20are%20nonplussed,%20irritated,%20and%20even%20pained.%20We%20understand.%20It%20is%20painful%20for%20any%20of%20us%20to%20accept%20the%20revelation%20that%20our%20precious%20%E2%80%9Cknowledge%E2%80%9D%20is%20false,%20that%20we%20have%20been%20deluded,%20and%20to%20confront%20the%20radical%20implications:%20assumptions%20discarded,%20insights%20misguided,%20principles%20betrayed,%20relationships%20undone,%20lives%20altered,%20and%20worlds%20shattered.%20False%20knowledge%20can%20be%20sticky;%20it%20is%20difficult%20to%20remove%20it%20and%20all%20it%20implies%20from%20our%20worldview%20%E2%80%94%20even%20when%20we%20acknowledge%20its%20falsity.%20Belief%20can%20be%20a%20bulwark%20against%20learning.%20The%20ignorance%20that%20hides%20in%20false%20knowledge%20is%20disguised%20as%20the%20very%20learning%20it%20defies.%0AThese%20considerations%20may%20cause%20us%20to%20question%20whether%20Plato%E2%80%99s%20Cave%20is,%20after%20all,%20a%20place%20of%C2%A0utter%C2%A0ignorance.%20It%20may%20indeed%20be%20home%20to%20deep%20ignorance,%20but%20the%20prisoners%20have%20beliefs%20about%20the%20shadows,%20make%20cognitive%20claims,%20and%20seem%20confident%20that%20what%20they%20believe%20is%20true%20%E2%80%94%20however%20deluded%20they%20may%20be.%20Actually,%20some%20of%20their%20beliefs%20are%20confirmed%20by%20their%20experience%20%E2%80%94%20some%20prisoners%20are%20adept%20at%20identifying%20shadows%20and%20remembering%20the%20sequences%20of%20their%20appearance.%20Perhaps%20it%20is%20impossible%20to%20describe%20a%20human%20situation%20of%20complete%20and%20total%20ignorance,%20ignoration%20so%20abysmal%20that%20no%20thin%20shaft%20of%20understanding%20penetrates%20it.%20One%20wonders%20how%20beings%20in%20such%20a%20situation%20could%20survive%20without%20any%20knowledge,%20without%20a%20single%20belief%20that%20is%20true.%20And%20one%20wonders%20what%20a%20mental%20state%20of%20ignoration%20would%20be:%20a%C2%A0tabula%20rasa%20%E2%80%94%C2%A0the%20hypothetical%20blank%20slate%20of%20the%20mind%20before%20it%20receives%20outside%20impressions%3F%20Consciousness%20without%20memory%3F%20Awareness%20without%20conceptualization%3F%20Prenatal%20mind%3F%0ATo%20ascribe%20ignorance%20as%20a%20mental%20state%20is%20to%20imply%20a%20capacity%20for%20learning,%20which%20in%20turn%20implies%20a%20capacity%20for%20knowing.%20A%20potential%20for%20knowledge%20is%20embedded%20in%20ignorance.%20Moreover,%20the%20ascription%20of%20ignorance%20is%20relational;%20it%20is%20made%20from%20the%20vantage%20point%20of%20someone%E2%80%99s%20knowledge%20about%20the%20lack%20of%20knowledge%20in%20an%20otherwise%20knowing%20creature.%20Ignorance%20and%20knowledge%20are%20concepts%20that%20cannot%20stand%20alone:%20They%20presuppose%20each%20other.%20It%20seems%20as%20convoluted%20to%20describe%20absolute%20and%20complete%20ignorance%20as%20is%20to%20describe%20absolute%20and%20complete%20knowledge.%20Ignoration%20and%20omniscience%20are%20comprehendible%20only%20as%20limiting%20concepts.%0ASo,%C2%A0are%C2%A0we%20like%20Plato%E2%80%99s%20Cave%20dwellers%20%E2%80%94%20not%20just%20in%20infancy,%20but%20throughout%20our%20adult%20lives%3F%20It%20seems%20we%20are,%20at%20least%20in%20one%20important%20way:%20I%20refer%20to%20the%20unsettling%20fact%20that%20we%20too%20are%20haunted%20by%20things%20we%20do%20not%20know%20we%20do%20not%20know;%20and%20we%20cannot%20imagine%20how%20drastically%20those%20unknowns%20would%20alter%20our%20lives%20and%20our%20view%20of%20the%20world.%0A%0ADaniel%20R.%20DeNicola%C2%A0is%20Professor%20Emeritus%20of%20Philosophy%20at%20Gettysburg%20College%20and%20the%20author%20of%20%E2%80%9CLearning%20to%20Flourish:%20A%20Philosophical%20Exploration%20of%20Liberal%20Education%E2%80%9D%20(Bloomsbury),%C2%A0Moral%20Philosophy:%20A%20Contemporary%20Introduction%C2%A0(Broadview),%20and%20%E2%80%9CUnderstanding%20Ignorance,%E2%80%9D%20from%20which%20this%20article%20is%20adapted.%0AThis%20article%20was%20originally%20published%20on%20MIT%20Press%20Reader.%0A%0AIn%20this%20article%0Acritical%20thinking%0Aphilosophy%0ASign%20up%20for%20the%20Smarter%20Faster%20newsletter%0AA%20weekly%20newsletter%20featuring%20the%20biggest%20ideas%20from%20the%20smartest%20people%0A%0A%0A%0ARELATED%0A%0ATHINKING%0AEveryday%20Philosophy:%20The%20quickest%20way%20to%20test%20your%20moral%20character%0AThe%20%E2%80%9CShopping%20Cart%20Litmus%20Test%E2%80%9D%20is%20a%20popular%20meme%20about%20morality.%20What%20does%20it%20really%20reveal%20about%20one%E2%80%99s%20character%3F%0A%0ATHINKING%0APlato%20on%20why%20debates%20are%20stupid%20and%20dangerous%0ADebate%20is%20a%20verbal%20sport%20with%20winners%20and%20losers.%20As%20such,%20it%20is%20less%20about%20the%20truth%20and%20more%20about%20who%20looks%20and%20sounds%20the%20best.%0A%0AHIGH%20CULTURE%0ADo%20you%20struggle%20getting%20out%20of%20bed%20in%20the%20morning%3F%20Marcus%20Aurelius%20can%20help%0ALike%20many%20of%20us,%20the%20Roman%20emperor%20Marcus%20Aurelius%20hated%20waking%20up%20early,%20but%20his%20stoic%20philosophy%20always%20helped%20him%20get%20out%20of%20bed.%0A%0ATHE%20PAST%0AThe%20real%20reason%20Socrates%20was%20given%20the%20death%20sentence%0AHumiliating%20powerful%20people%20was%20not%20a%20key%20to%20success.%0A%0ATHINKING%0AEveryday%20Philosophy:%20Can%20you%20build%20an%20intellectual%20friendship%20with%20someone%20you%E2%80%99re%20attracted%20to%3F%0ADoes%20Platonic%20love%20actually%20exist%3F%0A%0AUP%20NEXT%0A%0ATHE%20FUTURE%0AThe%20big%20problems%20driving%20nanotech%20development%0AIt%E2%80%99s%20been%2065%20years%20since%20Richard%20Feynman%20saw%20%E2%80%9Cplenty%20of%20room%E2%80%9D%20in%20the%20nano-world.%20Are%20we%20finally%20getting%20down%20there%3F%0A%0A%0A%0AFooter%0ASUBSCRIBE%0AGet%20counterintuitive,%20surprising,%20and%20impactful%20stories%20delivered%20to%20your%20inbox%20every%20Thursday.%0A%0AFOLLOW%20US%0A%0AView%20our%20Youtube%20channel%0A%0AView%20our%20Facebook%20page%0A%0AView%20our%20Instagram%20feed%0A%0AView%20our%20Twitter%20(X)%20feed%0A%0AView%20our%20LinkedIn%20account%0ASECTIONS%0A%09%09Business%0A%09%09Neuropsych%0A%09%09Thinking%0A%09%09Leadership%0A%09%09Smart%20Skills%0A%09%09High%20Culture%0A%09%09The%20Past%0A%09%09The%20Present%0A%09%09The%20Future%0A%09%09Life%0A%09%09Health%0A%09%09Hard%20Science%0A%09%09Special%20Issues%0ACOLUMNS%0A%09%09Starts%20With%20A%20Bang%0A%09%09Everyday%20Philosophy%0A%09%09The%20Learning%20Curve%0A%09%09The%20Long%20Game%0A%09%09The%20Well%0A%09%09Perception%20Box%0A%09%09Strange%20Maps%0A%09%0913.8%0AVIDEO%0A%09%09The%20Big%20Think%20Interview%0A%09%09Your%20Brain%20on%20Money%0A%09%09Playlists%0A%09%09Explore%20the%20Library%0AABOUT%0A%09%09Our%20Mission%0A%09%09Work%20With%20Us%0A%09%09Contact%0A%09%09Privacy%20Policy%0A%09%09Terms%20of%20Use%0A%09%09Accessibility%0A%09%09Careers%0ASUBSCRIBE%0A%09%09Free%20Newsletters%0A%09%09Memberships%0A%09%09The%20Weekly%20Crossword%0A%0AGet%20Big%20Think%20for%20Your%20Business.%20Enable%20transformation%20and%20drive%20culture%20at%20your%20company%20with%20lessons%20from%20the%20biggest%20thinkers%20in%20the%20world.%0ALEARN%20MORE%20%E2%86%92%0A%C2%A9%20Copyright%202007-2024%20%26%20BIG%20THINK,%20BIG%20THINK%20PLUS,%20SMARTER%20FASTER%20trademarks%20owned%20by%20Freethink%20Media,%20Inc.%20All%20rights%20reserved.%0A%0A%0AClose%20Advertisement%0A%0A%3C/text%3E