An Ode to Ignorance

The Power of “I don’t know” and Venturing Out Into the Unknown

In his best-selling book, Sapiens, the historian Yuval Harari wrote that the Scientific Revolution was not a revolution of knowledge, but one of ignorance. It was the discovery, or rather, realization that we do not know the answers to our most important questions that catapulted us into our modern age where scientific inquiry and research have led to breakthroughs not only in science, but also in economics, education, medicine, and technology.

We are all living in ignorance. The universe is infinitely complex beyond our imagination. Since the dawn of humanity, people have been wrestling with the existential questions of “where did we come from?”, “why are we here?”, “what is the meaning of life?”, and “is there a God?”. These questions plagued the minds of the earliest humans and they will likely continue to occupy our minds until our species perishes. There will never be one “right” answer to our deepest questions that satisfies everyone. But that is not for a lack of trying. For thousands of years, countless different answers and explanations have arisen. From string theory, to Christianity, to naturalism, to Islam, to the idea that we are living in a simulation, all of these are interpretations of reality that attempt to help us make sense of our world and to answer life’s biggest questions. They are attempts at simplifying the complex. They convey possible answers, but at the end of the day, they are still theories. Outside the realm of physics, mathematics, and the other hard sciences that govern the natural world, our understanding of the world is extremely limited. On the metaphysical level, I’d argue that many, if not all of us, are living blind. 

With this in mind, what is there to do? Learn more about the world and become more educated? Sure. Read more history? Yes, that’s important. Improve and expand our thinking? Definitely. But the thing is, you will likely never find answers to these existential questions that are universally accepted and objectively true. We struggle with understanding the true nature of our world because we are so limited in what we know. In fact, we don’t even know what we don’t know. And a frustrating paradox is that the more you know, the more you will realize just how much you don’t know. It’s the Dunning-Kruger effect. The more you read, learn, and think deeply about life, reality, our world, and about our universe, the more you will come to realize just how much you don’t know. That’s what happened to me, where the questioning of the religion that I’ve adhered to for my whole life led to a philosophical rabbit hole.

I have been trying to take a step back from my Christian culture bubble and trying to read more about different beliefs and worldviews, to learn more about human nature, about history, and our world. I’ve learned a lot, but at the same time, I feel more ignorant than ever before. Suddenly, my answer to some of life’s most important questions are “I don’t know”. I no longer have a unified, singular theory and story that helps me to understand and make sense of my life. My knowledge of the world has increased, but paradoxically, my understanding of the world has decreased. However, I don’t mind it. This is what happens when you venture out into the unknown. My alternative was staying stagnant in my way of thinking, stuck in an untested belief, and giving up my life for religious dogma that I didn’t even know was true. So now here I am. In the unknown. In ignorance. It’s frightening, unstable, and confusing, but at the same time, it’s wonderful. 

The acceptance of your ignorance is what keeps you a student forever. It’s what keeps you moving past the Thought Stop Signs that inhibit exploratory thought. It was the acceptance of our collective lack of knowledge and understanding of the world that led to the Scientific Revolution. It is this willingness to embrace ignorance that drives us forward. It’s the willingness to say “I don’t know” and venture out into the unknown to explore the possibilities out there so that one day, you may discover the truth. This is the ode to ignorance.

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