Ignorance is...bliss?

No, ignorance is not bliss. Dictionary.com defines Ignorance as The condition of being uneducated, unaware, or uninformed. Socrates posited that he who knows nothing but thinks he knows is worse off than he who neither knows, nor thinks that he knows. Thus, his conclusion is that it is better to have honest ignorance, than self-deceiving ignorance. Bob Woodward, of Watergate fame, has said "The central dilemma in journalism is that you don't know what you don't know. " Which is one of the tenants of my philosophical outlook: "First, you must know what you don't know. Then, and only then, can you begin to resolve those things about which you know little, or nothing." Consider this Harrington Maxim #1. I shall go so far as to submit for your consideration, that this is an axiom.

Many a noted person has expressed their sentiments about Ignorance. To wit:

The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance -- it is the illusion of knowledge.

~ Daniel J Boorstin

If you are of the opinion that you are knowledgeable about the business of photography, yet you continue to do things that are quantifiably bad business practices, then you are suffering under an illusion.

To be ignorant of one's ignorance is the malady of the ignorant.

~ Amos Bronson Alcott

This falls in line with Socrates' and Woodward's sentiments.

Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving us worthy evidence of the fact.

~ George Eliot

I can't tell you how many times I've encountered this reality. The only response - especially in polite company, is to just smile and say nothing. There's no use in debating a know-it-all who is not humbled by the fact he doesn't know it all. Let reality smack them upside the head on some idle Friday.

Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.

~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

King''s take on Socratic thinking, while not revelatory, certainly is of value because it furthers the message.

Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.

~ Will Durant

Education is the key, in the end. The tide of doe-eyed camera-toting people eager to hang out their shingle as a photographer and put themselves out of business in short order and incrementally impact in a negative manner the profession will only be stemmed by education.

Spread the word. Pay whatever knowledge you have gotten here, or from my book, or from other books on the subject of photographic business practices, forward. Pass a link to this blog, with a few relevant posts that you enjoyed, on to your friends, colleagues, or listservs and forums you're on. I know the good folks at Strobist.com, FredMiranda.com, Sportshooter.com, and, yes, even PrettyGirlShooter.com, all are sending traffic this way, and hopefully it's helping people. The private e-mails I am getting seem to indicate as much.

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