A Passion for Ignorance: What We Choose Not to Know and Why

by Renata Salecl Narrated by Lisa Coleman

Overview

This provocative audiobook narrated by Lisa Coleman explores our capacity to ignore what is inconvenient or traumatic

Ignorance, whether passive or active, conscious or unconscious, has always been a part of the human condition, Renata Salecl argues. What has changed in our post-truth, postindustrial world is that we often feel overwhelmed by the constant flood of information and misinformation. It sometimes seems impossible to differentiate between truth and falsehood and, as a result, there has been a backlash against the idea of expertise, and a rise in the number of people actively choosing not to know. The dangers of this are obvious, but Salecl challenges our assumptions, arguing that there may also be a positive side to ignorance, and that by addressing the role of ignorance in society, we may also be able to reclaim the role of knowledge.

Drawing on philosophy, social and psychoanalytic theory, popular culture, and her own experience, Salecl explores how the passion for ignorance plays out in many different aspects of life today, from love, illness, trauma, and the fear of failure to genetics, forensic science, big data, and the incel movement-and she concludes that ignorance is a complex phenomenon that can, on occasion, benefit individuals and society as a whole.

The result is a fascinating investigation of how the knowledge economy became an ignorance economy, what it means for us, and what it tells us about the world today.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"[A] compellingly topical book, which ranges from genetics to fake news."—-Andrew Robinson, Nature

"Elegant and compelling."—-Linsey McGoey, The Philosopher

Kirkus Reviews

2020-06-26
Willful ignorance can be insidious or self-protective.

Drawing on popular writings, scholarly studies, and her own experiences, philosopher and sociologist Salecl, a law professor at the University of London, offers a thoughtful, nuanced examination of the social and psychological motivations for—and consequences of—ignorance or denial. How, she asks, do individuals “try to avoid dealing with traumatic knowledge” by remaining ignorant, and how do societies “find ever new ways to deny information that might undermine the power structures or ideological mechanisms that maintain the existing order?” The pressure to know, the author asserts, has increased with easy access to information online; people feel responsible for being “experts at everything,” including making choices for a healthy lifestyle and deciding on medical treatments. Yet all-encompassing expertise is impossible. “Perceiving and comprehending the world around us,” writes Salecl, “necessarily involves deciding what is important to our needs and goals and what is not.” In times of crisis, ignorance may contribute to well-being or even survival. The author considers how people respond to traumas such as war, fleeing violence, or receiving a dire medical diagnosis as well as what new anxieties, shame, sorrow, and guilt people feel resulting from knowledge of their genetic makeup. Ignorance or denial are involved in love, as well, “when a person wants a relationship to succeed and does everything possible to keep alive the fantasy that sustains it.” Salecl notes the puzzling phenomenon of ignoring information from monitoring that is designed for self-improvement. People who do so are not “consciously embracing self-destructive behavior,” she observes, but rather, just downloading an app makes them feel better. At a time when fake news, propaganda, political rhetoric, and dueling experts dominate the media, the author’s analysis offers a fresh way to think about the decisions each of us make to “embrace ignorance and denial.”

A timely consideration of ways we construct our reality.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940177100098
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	09/29/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos