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Ignorance Has Much to Say About Us When Choosing It Over Facts
The facts are out there, but we refuse to accept them or they’re hidden from us, and that’s where the drama comes into play.
Choices are a part of everyday life, some small and almost meaningless and some with incredible gravity concerning our lives, those of others, or the future of our world. Even neuroscientists are wondering what happens when we prepare to make choices.
Making choices and willful ignorance are interesting areas of research. Sometimes, it’s called “deliberate ignorance” in the face of facts that may be easily accessible, but “little attention has been paid to the phenomenon of ‘deliberate ignorance’—the conscious choice not to seek or use information.” The time has come to begin to seek answers more vigorously because we live now in a fragile world that demands answers to issues affecting life and death.
We know that willful ignorance is often used in research to ensure that people in a sample may not know if they’re receiving a placebo or a medication. It’s called a research ruse, and today some question whether or not it’s ethical. However, this eliminates the potential for bias in participants’ responses and, theoretically, can be important in determining whether a drug works or not.
