A society that believes it already knows everything will not bother searching for new knowledge.

https://louisecharente.wordpress.com/2013/10/24/the-discovery-of-ignorance

Until the early modern period humans invested little effort in scientific research because they doubted their ability to obtain new medical, military or economic powers. Kings and emperors certainly gave money to education and scholarship but the main aim of scholarship was to preserve existing capabilities not to acquire new ones. The typical king gave money to priests, philosophers, and poets in the hope that they would legitimize his rule and maintain social order. He did not expect them to discover new medications, invent new weapons or stimulate economic growth.

In this sense, the scientific revolution has not been a revolution of knowledge as is usually the depicted, the scientific revolution has been a revolution of ignorance. The greatest discovery that launched the scientific revolution forward was the discovery of ignorance, the discovery that humans do not know the answers to the most important questions.

The beginning of ignorance is not accepting that you don't know everything....

In Homo Deus, Yuval Noah Harari equates the modern era with the 'scientific' discovery of ignorance, the abandonment of the zero sum game in economics, to be replaced with infinite growth. This is all about how people view the world, not the actual reality. The two concepts go hand in hand.

I have often wondered where the infinite growth thing comes from. It is often used as a criticism of either economic theory or of capitalism, or of both by people who cannot tell the difference. Capitalism and economics do not actually depend on it. However, it is faith in infinite growth that makes people prepared to go on lending money to entrepreneurs with the expectation that they are likely to make more money with it an repay the loan with interest. This belief did not exist in the past, so it was harder to come by a loan.

freediver wrote on Sep 4^th, 2020 at 6:17pm:


In this post truth world the discovery of ignorance is being lost.
Ignorance is being used as a weapon to discredit science

"The greatest discovery that launched the scientific revolution forward was the discovery of ignorance, the discovery that humans do not know the answers to the most important questions."

I would have thought that the "discovery of ignorance" is more about the discovery that we don't accept explanations and our world view based on myths, legends and sky fairies.

we learned that though scientific enquiry and the application of mathematics and testable theories we could build a better explanation of the world. In many cases being able to predict some things with great precision (Newtonian mechanics and equations for example).

It is the discovery of ignorance and that we were ignorant to accept the BS those in power feed us to keep us in line.