Allan Bloom on Knowledge and Ignorance

"Well now, I believe we are much less stupid than it seems. We are trained not to think. Formulas are drilled into us, which we parrot. But I believe that if the desire for true happiness, for true knowledge were to fully awaken among people in society – what the Enlightenment called with Kant's words: Sapere aude! Dare to know! – and not to consume canned wisdom that someone else has cooked and served, and then even experienced oneself as if I had thought such a thing... I believe that tremendous change could be achieved. People are not that stupid at all. But it is dangerous not to be stupid. Because if you are not stupid, you contradict, criticize, express unpopular opinions. And for safety reasons, it is better to appear stupid." Erich Fromm

"In an age in which the media broadcast countless pieces of foolishness, the educated man is defined not by what he knows, but by what he doesn't know." Nicolás Gómez Dávila