Epistemologia da ignorância

Tipologia e possíveis contribuições para a Filosofia da Ciência

Abstract

Knowledge is understood as the opposite of ignorance. The Western world, since its beginnings, has struggled to acquire knowledge and overcome ignorance. This led to the idea that ignorance is not an object of knowledge, and epistemology (as well as the Philosophy of Science) did not devote any attention to this topic until the mid-1980s. Knowledge has been synonymous with reason, which also opposes ignorance as an epistemic fact. In this article, we will discuss the theme of ignorance and how it can transform into an epistemology. We will briefly present the typology of ignorance and its negative aspects, such as the absence of knowledge, actively sustained false perspectives, so-called pluralistic ignorance, and ignorance understood as a substantive epistemic practice. We will also show that ignorance can have a positive aspect: this is strategic ignorance, which can be used by individuals or victimized groups as a survival strategy. We will also discuss Charles Mills' work on the racial contract and how white ignorance has infused Western society with racism since the Enlightenment. The differences between ignorance and stupidity are mentioned, as well as the importance of overcoming them for politics and democratic coexistence.