Ignorance

Many of the world’s biggest problems go unsolved due to a massive percentage of the population being ignorant about the problems themselves. The answer seems simple at first, inform the people. However, there has to be a deeper reason why the public is uninformed to the point that it seems like they are avoiding the issue or even simply just the information. With such unprecedented tools available to us such as the internet, which is now on our person almost at all times, or news all around us that covers all the travesties and beauties of the world, why do we as a society prefer to be uniformed? People should be informed or at least talk about an issue even if they cannot do anything about it. In its current state, the American society of

There have been scientific studies concluding that “The less people know about important complex issues such as the economy, energy consumption and the environment, the more they want to avoid becoming well-informed” (“Ignorance”). Co-author Steven Shepard, a student at the University of Waterloo, described the purpose of the study, saying “These studies were designed to help understand the so-called ‘ignorance is bliss’ approach to social issues” (“Ignorance”). Both Shepard and Dr. Aaron Kay, PhD, of Duke University, defined their findings as “a chain reaction from ignorance about a subject to dependence on and trust in the government to deal with the issue” (“Ignorance”). When participants (from the United States and Canada respectively) were presented with a complex description of an issue, the economy in this instance, they expressed “higher levels of perceived helplessness in getting through the economic downturn, more dependence on and trust in the government to manage the economy, and less desire to learn more about the issue”(“Ignorance”). Kay mentioned that the data was contrary to regular human behavior, saying “This is despite the fact that, all else equal, one should have less trust in someone to effectively manage something that is more complex” (“Ignorance”). Their study did not have reason why the participants reacted this way, but it did explain, in detail, the chain-reaction feelings of hopelessness. This study was not asking the

Bradbury’s American Classic was published in 1953, yet it depicts a future that resembles ours in many ways. The main character, Guy Montag, lives in world where people do not read books, appreciate nature, spend time alone with independent thoughts, or have worthwhile conversations (Bradbury). Instead, they watch meaningless television in excess. We should refuse for this to become true but we have allowed it to happen. It is our obligation as an intelligent species to prevent ourselves from becoming ‘couch potatoes’ who are fed useless