Listen and read

Step into an infinite world of stories

  • Listen and read as much as you want
  • Over 400 000+ titles
  • Bestsellers in 10+ Indian languages
  • Exclusive titles + Storytel Originals
  • Easy to cancel anytime
Subscribe now
Details page - Device banner - 894x1036

A Passion for Ignorance: What We Choose Not to Know and Why

2 Ratings

4

Duration
5H 28min
Language
English
Format
Category

Non-Fiction

An original and provocative exploration of our capacity to ignore what is inconvenient or traumatic

Ignorance, whether passive or active, conscious or unconscious, has always been a part of the human condition, Renata Salecl argues. What has changed in our post-truth, postindustrial world is that we often feel overwhelmed by the constant flood of information and misinformation. It sometimes seems impossible to differentiate between truth and falsehood and, as a result, there has been a backlash against the idea of expertise, and a rise in the number of people actively choosing not to know. The dangers of this are obvious, but Salecl challenges our assumptions, arguing that there may also be a positive side to ignorance, and that by addressing the role of ignorance in society, we may also be able to reclaim the role of knowledge.

Drawing on philosophy, social and psychoanalytic theory, popular culture, and her own experience, Salecl explores how the passion for ignorance plays out in many different aspects of life today, from love, illness, trauma, and the fear of failure to genetics, forensic science, big data, and the incel movement—and she concludes that ignorance is a complex phenomenon that can, on occasion, benefit individuals and society as a whole.

The result is a fascinating investigation of how the knowledge economy became an ignorance economy, what it means for us, and what it tells us about the world today.

© 2020 Princeton University Press (Audiobook): 9780691205618
© 2022 Princeton University Press (Ebook): 9780691245713

Release date

Audiobook: 29 September 2020
Ebook: 29 November 2022

Others also enjoyed ...

  1. The Knowledge Illusion: The myth of individual thought and the power of collective wisdom Philip Fernbach
  2. Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment Robert Wright
  3. Making Sense: Conversations on Consciousness, Morality, and the Future of Humanity Sam Harris
  4. Range: How Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World David Epstein
  5. Irrationality: A History of the Dark Side of Reason Justin Smith-Ruiu
  6. This Idea is Brilliant: Lost, Overlooked, and Underappreciated Scientific Concepts Everyone Should Know John Brockman
  7. The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion Jonathan Haidt
  8. Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism Amanda Montell
  9. Pandemic! & Pandemic! 2: COVID-19 Shakes the World & Chronicles of a Time Lost Slavoj Zizek
  10. A Brief History of Equality Thomas Piketty
  11. Debt – Updated and Expanded: The First 5,000 Years David Graeber
  12. The Human Condition: Second Edition Hannah Arendt
  13. Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow Yuval Noah Harari
  14. Psychopolitics: Neoliberalism and New Technologies of Power Byung-Chul Han
  15. Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion Paul Bloom
  16. The Story of Philosophy: The Lives and Opinions of the Greater Philosophers Will Durant
  17. Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape Our Decisions Dan Ariely
  18. Poststructuralism: A Very Short Introduction Catherine Belsey
  19. Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect Matthew D. Lieberman
  20. Postmodernism: A Very Short Introduction Christopher Butler
  21. Foucault: A Very Short Introduction, 2nd edition Gary Gutting
  22. Why Marx Was Right: 2nd Edition Terry Eagleton
  23. The Psychology of Stupidity: Explained by Some of the World's Smartest People Jean-Francois Marmion