Merriam-Webster defines ignorance as the “lack of knowledge, education, or awareness”. This definition does not carry any positive or negative connotation. Ignorance includes all reasons for why knowledge, education, or awareness is lacking, whether an individual is in control of what they know or not. Ignorance is a neutral state, not necessarily bad, good, or anywhere in the middle. However, everyday usage of the words ignorance and ignorant strongly imply that ignorance is controllable and exclusively a bad thing.
I searched on Twitter for the 100 most recent tweets containing the word ignorant and judged their tone. 96 tweets used the term insultingly or to assign blame. The word was often typed in all caps and surrounded by profanity, typically given to politicians and their supporters. If someone is called ignorant, it is almost always with the following connotation:
You are choosing to be ignorant. You’re wrong, stupid, and evil because of your ignorance. If you had cared to know what I know, you would be correct, knowledgeable, and good, like me.
Only four tweets used a neutral connotation. Two of those tweets involved a Twitter user describing themself. Zero tweets were positive or praised ignorance. Thus, the everyday definition of ignorance is far narrower and harsher than its dictionary definition
While we only use the word in one way, ignorance actually encompasses three distinct situations, each dependent on the ignorant individual’s intentions and the information involved:
- Ignorance is, as defined earlier, the “lack of knowledge, education, or awareness”. Ignorance is the neutral state. It is not your fault that you don’t know what you don’t know. Generally speaking, it is not within someone’s control to know and understand what they do not yet know exists. It should not be considered a bad thing that someone is ignorant; they just don’t know something (yet). After all, we are born with complete ignorance of all things. Innocence.
- Malignorance is the intentional avoidance of information one should know or understanding that one should gain. This occurs when an individual anticipates that gaining certain knowledge will be too scary, onerous, or disruptive to their worldview, or they are just too lazy or uninterested to care. Malignorance is always bad and should be condemned. Negligence. [1]
- Benignorance is the intentional avoidance of information one shouldn’t know or understanding that one shouldn’t gain. This is because such knowledge would be unnecessary, harmful, or disrespectful to others. The rough translation is “it’s none of my business.” Benignorance is virtuous and should be celebrated. It is not our role in the world to know everything. Pandora’s box can remain closed and the forbidden fruit can remain uneaten. Wisdom. [2]
The English language collapses three morally distinct states into a single term. When a language fails to distinguish morally different behaviors, we begin treating those behaviors as morally equivalent. If our vocabulary lumps different concepts together, our thinking often follows.
Because ignorance has become a moral accusation rather than a neutral description of one’s current state, people avoid admitting they don’t know something. Curiosity becomes embarrassing, while certainty becomes socially desirable. Our modern discourse often rewards an appearance of having been correct rather than the process of becoming correct. People defend what they already believe instead of revising their beliefs when presented with new information or nuance. When a new issue emerges, many become psychologically invested in their first impressions. The resulting feedback loop entrenches false beliefs long after better information becomes available. Ironically, fear of being perceived as ignorant often produces the very behavior that deserves criticism: malignorance.
We should begin distinguishing these three forms of ignorance in both our language and our thinking, as described above. Changing our vocabulary would help dismantle the harmful feedback loop of malignorance and unlock a more beneficial feedback loop of learning through open-mindedness and humility. In a Utopia that clearly makes this distinction, no one feels like they are asking a “dumb question”. Getting the basic information right is valued more than appearing initially knowledgeable. The acknowledgement of one’s own ignorance is celebrated. Those who choose to leave gaps in their understanding and succumb to malignorance are criticized. And those who respect what they don’t need to know are praised for their benignorance. Sustained learning emerges as ignorance is treated as the beginning of understanding rather than evidence of stupidity.
The goal is not a society without ignorance, which is impossible, but one that distinguishes the ignorance that invites learning, the ignorance that deserves criticism, and the ignorance that commands respect.
Notes:
[1] Malignorance seems to already be a term on the internet.
[2] Benignorance does not seem to be an existing term. There are some terms and phrases translated from other languages that roughly mean this, but nothing in proper English or internet slang.
6/8/2026 – Salt Lake City, Utah
Not Yet Wise 