IGNORANCE, SUBMISSION AND PRESUMPTION
Nildo Viana
Ignorance
is an ambiguous word. In some cases, it means lack of knowledge, ignore
something; in others it means "rudeness" or disregard for other
people's opinions. The problem is that the words are usually decontextualized
and removed from the social reality in which they arose and gain meaning. To
understand the real meaning of ignorance is necessary to analyze its meaning,
which refers to other issues such as its inclusion in the totality of social
life, their decisions and their consequences.
Ignorance
towards "ignore something" or "lack of awareness or
knowledge" about something is extremely common. In this sense, we are all
ignorant, because no one knows everything, more cultured, learned or
experienced. And that's nothing offensive or derogatory consider someone
missing something. However, there is a difference in degree. Some individuals
ignore many things and some less. In addition to this quantitative difference,
there are also qualitative: some ignore important things and ignore other
luxuries. Another difference is to say that someone missing something, another
is to say that she is ignorant, because in the first case is a specific case
and the second is something presented as something that characterizes the
individual, ignorance was widespread. Here we are in the realm of more abstract
classifications, but if we enter this discussion within the social life, we can
better understand the problem involved.
By bringing
the discussion to the context of society, we begin to realize that not
pejorative sense of the word is rarely used, as someone who claims someone else
"ignored his warning" since it refers to something very specific,
having nothing offensive. The most common use is when one says that someone is
ignorant, namely that ignores much or more important things. Obviously, this
kind of statement is not necessarily true because a society based on social
competition, the disqualification of the other and his speech is common, and
the other being ignorant, then there is a valuation that making such a claim, a
distinguishing sign and superiority.
However,
people considered in society as more ignorant are just people from
underprivileged class, and even more so their poorer strata. They ignore a
larger amount of things and more important. Undoubtedly, this is not entirely
false, though the generalization is problematic because many individuals of the
privileged class also ignore many things and the question of what is or is not
important evaluative, usually referring to the dominant values. Some studies
show a difference between an average researcher who has a word about two
thousand words, while others have a vocabulary of about two hundred words.
Therefore, we can say that there is a tendency (and therefore is not something
general, inevitable, etc., not being widespread or determinism) that people
from underprivileged class have a smaller vocabulary than those of the
privileged class (and within them there also a tendency to hierarchy, and the
intellectuals, because their profession and everyday activities, have a more
extensive vocabulary than other class).
The
qualitative question is more difficult to be addressed because it refers to the
values of individuals. A fisherman can ignore the trends of the financial
market and inflation, government policies, the significance of capitalism, the
existence of social class or understand virtually nothing of art, science and
institutional policy. If he ignores this, while it has an accumulated knowledge
about fishing, their techniques, more convenient location, and various other
aspects involved, as well as their family tradition, on their daily lives,
among many other things. Your ignorance is relative, as well as their knowledge.
And to their own values, he will certainly consider ignoring unimportant things
and have awareness of things that are relevant. Undoubtedly, the fishery is
your means of survival, and therefore it is important to him. However, not
knowing of inflation, government policies, relations between social class,
which directly affect their income and social situation, among other things
related to their survival, shows that their values are made socially and that
their perception of what It is more valuable for it is hindered by its
restricted aware of the totality of social life. Since he did not aware of it,
their action and the development of your consciousness will be dependent on
other people and influences (oligopolistic media, intellectuals, prominent people
in your own environment, etc.). In this sense, we can say that ignorance is the
mother of submission. The more ignorant a person is, the greater the tendency
to be submissive.
However,
ignorance not only affects individuals of the underprivileged class. Many
individuals of the privileged class also have a high degree of ignorance,
either in terms of quantity and/or quality. An artist, for example, can have a
big know about artistic techniques and art history, as well as the fisherman
knows the fishery, but can understand very little of politics and social
issues. That is why many well-meaning artists seek to make social criticism,
but are a high level of superficiality and not go beyond moralism. In addition,
the futile way of life and the dominant values are powerful allies of
ignorance of broad sectors of the privileged class. Allied to this laziness of
many people, we have a framework in which ignorance is not a class attribute,
it spreads throughout society, even for those who have the resources to
overcome it, but prefer to buy useless and superfluous things, or even with
some utility (such as a flashlight that is rarely used) than a book, or buy a
gossip magazine about the life of artists than buying a literary work.
Ignorance
has numerous determinations, provided the financial resources, access to formal
education, culture of origin, through values and interests, which are closely
related to the whole of society, the class of belonging, state action and the
means of the oligopolists communication and marketing, among many others. Its
main consequence has been placed: submission. Obviously, with variations and
suffering other determinations, it is a faithful companion of ignorance.
However,
the ignorance is also understood in the other direction. The second sense of
the word refers to the issue of "rudeness" or disregard or disrespect
for the positions and opinions of others. Can not think ignorance as only
rudeness. In this case it would be mere and sheer rudeness. When one thinks
ignorance in this way, she has a sense very close to the disrespect and
disregard for other people's ideas. It is also relatively common. Many people
dismiss, disparage, ridicule and make fun of ideas, opinions, statements of
others. Of course here also it serves the social competition, something
structural in capitalist society, and the pursuit of winning it, putting
themselves as superior, more cultured, distinguished. In fact, this is
something that should not be confused with the case in which in a debate between
two people and one really has to know more about the subject matter and the
other shows have less to know, because then there is no ignorance, but
rudeness, rudeness, etc., unless caused by ignorance of the opponent. That is,
here, in this case, ignorance can emerge only from the side of him who knows
less, because this is their defining element. The ignorant in that sense,
thinks he knows more than the others despite not having conducted studies,
reflections, research, to develop their consciousness. He just denies and
refuses what the other has to say, but does not show really know the subject.
It's like a person to hear that Descartes was a great philosopher, without
knowing his work and ideas, just says he is "stupid" or any other
pejorative adjective. It is common for such people make statements about things
unaware as truth and wanting to disqualify opinions and contrary positions,
calling for aggression, rhetoric, disqualification. It is also constantly
refusing ideas and statements without having any information or awareness of
what is being discussed. It features one of the features present in people who
do this, the presumption. This means that the person believes their
unsubstantiated assumptions about things and little known as superior as to disregard
or dismiss the other positions and opinions. In this sense, ignorance is the
mother of presumption.
This form
of ignorance associated with the presumption is generated more by people who
cling to traditions and doctrines, generating dogmatism, or by people with a
mental formation that promotes the presumption as a defense mechanism. As a
collective phenomenon, it is more common in groups linked to certain religions,
political doctrines, usually reaching the underprivileged class and certain
sectors of the privileged class. It is also constant with people with mental
laziness, seeking immediate answers and cling to them when able, however
superficial and poorly-founded they may be.
The
consequences of such ignorance are conflicts and debates, unnecessary
misunderstandings, when most individual cases, and when it assumes collective
forms, dogmatism that generates political intolerance, religious, etc. and
collective disputes between individuals and groups. The formation of sects and
the spread of dogmatism (and anti-intellectualism) are quite common in groups,
formal or not, who are allied with this process. At the individual level means
no intellectual advancement and development of consciousness and collective
level means a slowdown in the advancement of social struggles or their blockade
in certain sectors.
In short,
ignorance, is linked to the submission is attached to the presumption is always
detrimental to the project of human emancipation and the development of
consciousness and intellectual stagnation element of individuals. Ignorance has
never allied with social and even individual transformation process. Therefore,
overcoming ignorance should be commitment of all. The fight against ignorance,
their own and others', it is essential for all who struggle for social
transformation.
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