Ignorance & Censorship | Philosophy Tube

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Athena grants Abigail access to her library to study ignorance, impacting various fields like justice and politics; Rawls' "veil of ignorance" aims for a just society, while Mills criticizes its oversight of racial injustice. White ignorance shapes neutral systems, passive and active ignorance lead to deliberate avoidance, and doxastic anxiety impacts moral thinking; secrecy like the Manhattan Project illustrates the necessity of keeping crucial information hidden. Ignorance is manipulated for profit, seen in tobacco companies funding misleading research; legislation like Section 28 in the UK perpetuates ignorance and hermeneutical injustice, impacting education and society.

Insights

  • Ignorance, explored through agnotology, influences various fields including privacy, justice, politics, and misinformation, shaping societal structures and impacting areas like mathematics and probability.
  • Deliberate ignorance, as seen in the manipulation of information by entities like tobacco companies, can perpetuate harmful practices for profit, highlighting the ethical implications of maintaining ignorance for personal gain and power.

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Recent questions

  • What is agnotology?

    The field of agnotology focuses on the study of ignorance, encompassing various topics like privacy, justice, politics, misinformation, and censorship. It explores how ignorance impacts different areas such as mathematics and probability, shedding light on the structures of knowledge and the deliberate choices individuals make to remain unaware.

  • Who introduced the concept of a "veil of ignorance"?

    John Rawls introduced the concept of a "veil of ignorance" as a way to design a just society. This concept involves individuals being unaware of their societal position, ensuring that rules are created fairly without bias. It aims to promote impartiality and fairness in societal structures.

  • What is white ignorance?

    White ignorance refers to the ignorance of experiences outside one's own, particularly shaping neutral systems to reflect white perspectives. This term is discussed by philosophers to highlight how individuals may unintentionally perpetuate ignorance by failing to consider diverse perspectives and experiences.

  • How do tobacco companies manipulate ignorance?

    Tobacco companies manipulate ignorance by funding biased research to cast doubt on the harmful effects of smoking. This perpetuates ignorance for profit, as they aim to keep consumers unaware of the risks associated with their products through misinformation and selective dissemination of information.

  • What impact did Section 28 have in the UK?

    Section 28 in the UK prohibited the promotion of homosexuality, leading to a lack of LGBT education until its repeal in 2003. This legislation caused a silencing effect beyond its text, impacting various aspects of society such as libraries, theaters, films, and even education in private schools. It exemplifies hermeneutical injustice by denying knowledge to certain groups and perpetuating ignorance regarding LGBTQ+ issues.

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Summary

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Exploring Ignorance: Wisdom, Justice, and Manipulation

  • Athena, the goddess of wisdom, offers Abigail access to her magical library for research on ignorance, a cutting-edge field in philosophy known as agnotology.
  • Ignorance encompasses various topics like privacy, justice, politics, misinformation, and censorship, impacting areas such as mathematics and probability.
  • John Rawls introduces the concept of a "veil of ignorance" to design a just society where individuals are unaware of their societal position, ensuring fair rule creation.
  • Ignorance structures knowledge, evident in jury trials where certain evidence is ignored to maintain impartiality, a key aspect in agnotology.
  • Charles Mills criticizes Rawls for overlooking racial injustice in his ideal theory, highlighting the impact of ignorance on societal problems.
  • White ignorance, a term discussed by philosophers, refers to the ignorance of experiences outside one's own, shaping neutral systems to reflect white perspectives.
  • Passive ignorance involves not knowing, while active ignorance is a deliberate choice to remain unaware, as seen in avoiding information on factory farming.
  • Doxastic anxiety, anxiety about forming beliefs, influences deliberate ignorance, impacting moral thinking and actions.
  • Tobacco companies exemplify the manipulation of ignorance by funding biased research to cast doubt on the harmful effects of smoking, perpetuating ignorance for profit.
  • The secrecy surrounding the Manhattan Project during WWII illustrates the necessity of keeping complex, long-lasting secrets to prevent adversaries from uncovering critical information.

17:57

Government control through censorship perpetuates ignorance.

  • The Nazis focused on heavy water as a neutron moderator, while the Americans found graphite more effective in atomic physics.
  • Keeping information secret is challenging, expensive, and inefficient, leading to increased government control.
  • Some US and UK legislators aim to defund schools teaching divisive concepts to maintain ignorance of harmful ideas.
  • Divisive concepts like communism can be understood without direct exposure to banned materials due to societal observations.
  • Section 28 in the UK prohibited promoting homosexuality, leading to a lack of LGBT education until its repeal in 2003.
  • Section 28 caused a silencing effect beyond its text, impacting libraries, theaters, and films, even in private schools.
  • Section 28 exemplifies hermeneutical injustice, denying knowledge to certain groups, like transgender individuals, perpetuating ignorance.
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