Combating Ignorance

Many people do not understand economic development. Each of us has a job in ensuring people we know understand the basics of economic development. In this sense, we must combat ignorance about the field.

Here is some useful advice on combating ignorance in general. It is a useful starting point. The source is the University of Arizona College of Agriculture.

"Ignorance happens to everyone. Knowing what you don't know is important for everyone. Unfortunately, there is not a lot written (that I can find) on this subject. Most is someone from a particular viewpoint that is calling those with other views as "ignorant". This shows how neglected this field is, but it is immensely important in future studies to know what you don't know, so you can get on with finding out new information and accepting new ideas. You may also want to review "knowing what you don't know" for additional approaches.

Assumptions

Often assumptions are not stated. This leads others to speculate on what assumptions really were used or the reader inserts their own assumptions. Were the assumption s avoided because the author did not know how to address assumptions, or because their own values were such that the item seemed like a fact. Did the reader do the same thing, and read their own "facts" into the reading. Knowing how to separate fact from guessing is essential, otherwise the writer and the reader may attach different meanings to the same content..

Ignorance Questions

What do you know you know?
What do you know you do not know?
What are the things you don't know you don't know?
What do you think you know but you really don't know?
Taboos and forbidden knowledge - what is untouchable?
Denials - what is too painful to know and therefore you don't know?
What are the dangers of not knowing something and what are the benefits?
Under what conditions (e.g., state of mind, location) to you do your best "thinking, reflecting, pondering"?

Possible Actions

Ask experts what they know and what they don't know
Read statements by visionaries about what they think the future may bring
Do a literature search on what is unknown in your field of study (includes topics of great controversy)
Speculate on how the unknown might become known
Read what others have defined as " the most important discoveries in the next 50 years)

Questions to ask yourself

What is the most important question in your discipline or field of study?
What makes that question so important?
What can you do to learn more about the question?"