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Ignorance: A Global History

Ignorance: A Global History

Paperback

General SociologyGeneral World History

ISBN10: 0300276508
ISBN13: 9780300276503
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: Apr 30 2024
Pages: 336
Weight: 0.64
Height: 1.01 Width: 5.12 Depth: 7.80
Language: English
A fascinating catalogue of the conditions and agency of ignorance--Jeffrey Collins, Times Literary Supplement

A declaration of love for education--Stefan Bauer, History Today

Dazzling . . . a deliciously knowledgeable history of ignorance--David Armitage

A rich, wide-ranging history of ignorance in all its forms, from antiquity to the present day

Throughout history, every age has thought of itself as more knowledgeable than the last. Renaissance humanists viewed the Middle Ages as an era of darkness, Enlightenment thinkers tried to sweep superstition away with reason, the modern welfare state sought to slay the giant of ignorance, and in today's hyperconnected world seemingly limitless information is available on demand. But what about the knowledge lost over the centuries? Are we really any less ignorant than our ancestors?

In this highly original account, Peter Burke examines the long history of humanity's ignorance across religion and science, war and politics, business and catastrophes. Burke reveals remarkable stories of the many forms of ignorance--genuine or feigned, conscious and unconscious--from the willful politicians who redrew Europe's borders in 1919 to the politics of whistleblowing and climate change denial. The result is a lively exploration of human knowledge across the ages, and the importance of recognizing its limits.

Also from

Burke, Peter

Also in

General World History