Ignorant - what is it? Meaning and types of ignorance

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:46

The prestige of education in the modern world is doubtful, although it is precisely it that allows us to answer the question: what kind of concept is “ignorant”? By the way, a fun fact: according to statistics, Russia is the most educated country, if we take into account the percentage of people with higher education. Interesting, right? Now let's get down to business.

Meaning

“An “ignorant” is a person of little culture, uneducated,” says the explanatory dictionary. For example, a person who still believes that the earth is flat, without any doubt, can claim this unpleasant characteristic. Ignorance itself is, of course, bad. But there are people (and quite a lot) who are even proud of it. They don't know, but it doesn't stop them from living at all.

Let's say it is. What if these same people will have children, how will they teach their offspring to dream big? It is bad when a person is scientifically, philosophically or psychologically ignorant, but even worse when he does not want to learn. The darkness he promotes can harm his family and friends, and the children will take it over and understand that this type of behavior is the only possible one. If "ignorant" is the attitude, then there is little that can be done to change the person's mind.

Ignorant and ignorant

There are different types of ignorance, but anyway, the adjective is the same.

There is a person who does not know how to behave at the table in a decent company, he will be called ignorant. Sometimes this happens because of the discrepancy between acceptable forms of behavior in different societies. The tribes of Africa have adopted some manners, the Europeans - others. It is not for nothing that people, getting into a foreign social community, experience a culture shock. But eating with your hands in almost any European country is a sign of bad taste. Therefore, if you see a person who neglects cutlery, do not hesitate, this is the ignoramus. You can say an ignorant person.

Another type of ignorance is lack of education. And here comes a classic example. Remember the episode of M. A. Bulgakov, when Ivan Bezdomny tells the Master about the meeting with the professor at the Patriarchs, and the Master, after listening and enlightening Ivan, asks, knowing the answer in advance: “I’m not mistaken, are you an ignorant person?” And here this characteristic is somewhat different. It cannot be said that the Master had time to appreciate the manners of the poet. But he understood one thing for sure: Ivan is unfamiliar with demonology and has not even read Faust, that is, he lacks knowledge in a certain area. Such an ignoramus, an ignorant literary worker. It is sad, but, as the reader remembers, the poet will completely change.

Sherlock Holmes, or There is no limit to perfection

Strangematter, but each of us can say, like Socrates: "I only know that I know nothing." Many great minds have interpreted these words. But it seems that the usual unknowability of the world is encrypted in them. The wider the area of knowledge of a person, the greater the area of his ignorance, and nothing can be done about it. Each of us is both a specialist and a layman in one person.

Remember the wonderful episode of the Soviet film "Acquaintance": the first series of the film about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. There is a scene where the famous detective confesses his complete ignorance in terms of literary, philosophical knowledge, he does not even know who Copernicus is and that the Earth revolves around the Sun, but he is well versed in chemistry and can distinguish different types of dirt from different streets of London.

No one would dare to call the detective a fool, yes, he missed a lot in terms of general knowledge, but in his field he is a genius! His concept can be called "guided or intelligent ignorance". The detective doesn't do anything special, he just knows exactly what he needs and what he doesn't. And he is indifferent to the laurels of an erudite. In fact, the case of Holmes is not unique, for this is the fate of every narrow specialist.