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Articles

The Epistemology of Ignorance

Peter Rickman on the crucial importance of context.

A great deal has been written on the roots of knowledge in sensory experience ordered by reason. Have we given enough thought to our dependence on the contexts into which we can place any information? I began to reflect on this as I watched various knowledge quizzes on television and became more acutely conscious of the vast areas of ignorance in all of us. To avoid seeming to look down my nose at the limitations of others, I start with my own. I know, as was brought home to me, next to nothing about the world of entertainment or sport. People more knowledgeable in these areas would be surprised by my puzzlement about frequent parodies and references by comedians to people of whom I have never heard.

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