The Deep Structure of Deliberate Ignorance: Mapping the Terrain

This chapter explores the “deep structure” of deliberate ignorance, defi ned as an individual’s or collective’s intentional choice to create a short- or long-term barrier to information for the individual or collective who made the choice. This definition is used to identify clear cases while acknowledging that the key terms of the definition (deliberate and ignorance) admit of ambiguity. It is argued that the frequency, forms, and functions of deliberate ignorance may vary across individuals as well as domains of information. Potential causal variables are suggested (e.g., the utility of the information, the nature of the information environment, the level of relevant parties who initiate and are affected by deliberate ignorance, and the legal, ethical, and social context within which deliberate ignorance occurs) and possible consequences are explored for the actors who engage in deliberate ignorance. Finally, the potential time course of deliberate ignorance is discussed within an episode of deliberate ignorance itself, across life-span development as well as cultural and biological evolutionary time.