objects/ethics-of-humility.html

Ethics of Humility

When you're ignorance is large, you should go with your strong suit.

Vitek and Jackson 2008

• the Enlightenment lead to a worldview based on control
• success of rationality lead to a cornucopian worldview
• if we accept that we don't have enough information to run the world, then we should embrace ignorance
  • ignorance-based worldview "predicated on the assumption that human ignorance will always exceed and out-pace human knowledge"

Berry 2008

• address the proposition that knowledge and technology can "forsee and forestall any bad consequences of their use of power"

Jensen 2008

• Education
  • "but don't we all agree that knowledge is the goal of education?"
  • what if that basic assumption wrong and "what if education is, ultimately about ignorance more thatn about knowldege"
    • need to face that we have limited knowledge
  • embrace "the inevitability of human ignorance" rather than it is a problem that needs to be solved or even can be solved by more education, requires a different type of education

An ignorance-based worldview is counter to the individualist or cornucopian while not being fatalistic, it adds a new dimension to worldviews

ignorance-based approach is related to:

• precautionary principle
• method to decide and take action (mode 2 science)
• uncertainty
• worldviews