Normative Implications of Deliberate Ignorance

Abstract

In this chapter the phenomenon of deliberate ignorance is submitted to a normative analysis. Going beyond defi nitions and taxonomies, normative frameworks allow us to analyze the implications of individual and collective choices for ignorance across various contexts. This chapter outlines fi rst steps toward such an analysis. Starting with the claim that deliberate ignorance is categorically bad by the lights of morality and rationality, a suite of criteria is considered that aff ord a more nuanced understanding and identify challenges for future research.

When Science Becomes Embroiled in Conflict: Recognizing the Public’s Need for Debate while Combating Conspiracies and Misinformation

“…Similarly, denying the severity or even the existence of COVID-19, or denying the effectiveness of social distancing, may represent an adaptive strategy irrespective of the poor quality of argumentation (although it is less clear that denial along with other forms of “not wanting to know” could be construed as “rational”; see Krueger et al 2021). For example, denial can enhance people’s self-efficacy by maintaining optimism about the current situation (Bénabou and Tirole 2016).…”

Rationality Now! Review of Steven Pinker's 'Rationality'

“…Yet, there are ironic puzzles, such as 'deliberate ignorance,' when people elect to hide information from themselves although they might have it for free. As it turns out, such self-blinding need not be irrational in the tradition of King Oedipus's self-mutilation, but a rational response to an environment that has no compassion (Krueger et al, 2020).…”

Thoughtless Intelligence

“…These additional cues might only perfect postdiction, while degrading prediction. If there is one cue that robustly predicts outcomes across changing populations and circumstances, its use amounts to a strategy of deliberate information neglect, and such neglect, Gigerenzer argues, is the hallmark of intelligence (Krueger et al, 2020).…”