In Praise of Ignorance and Confusion

Chet Raymo explains how the goal of science is to increase our ignorance: before we do science, we’re not aware of what we don’t know. Once you do science, you answer some questions but many more arise: a glorious increase in ignorance.

This thought might serve as some consolation while I am preparing for my seminar tomorrow: the more I try to understand, the more confused I get. But that’s good. All I need to do now is get my students to the same state of confusion and ignorance.

[Link to Raymo’s essay via James Hrynyshyn]