The Crisis of Knowledge: Ethics, Politics and Epistemology

Our actions in a given domain do not arise solely from what we know: the motivation to act depends on many elements, that vary depending on the context. However, it is certainly true that what we know or believe has the power to influence our behavior. Being in a condition of ignorance therefore can influence the way we act. Ignoring something can also determine whether we are morally responsible for performing certain actions; being ignorant of facts or norms, however, does not always provide an excuse. Sometimes individuals ignore things they could not have possibly known; other times we use to say that they should have known what they, in fact, ignore. Drawing a line between culpable or excusable ignorance can, at times, be incredibly challenging.

Also, the more complex the political and economic processes governing and regulating societies, the more individuals affected from these processes may perceive their ignorance of their nature and profound mechanisms. This fact might suggest us the presence of a “structural or systemic ignorance”, related a certain social organization.

This Special Issue aims to explore the concept of ignorance in its facets, investigating its causes and consequences, in order to ultimately reflect on the moral and social responsibility of subjects for what they ignore. It will address, and discuss, the following Cultural and political ignorance; Ignorance, biases and self-deception; Scientific ignorance; Collective ignorance; Ignorance and big data.