Universal Ignorance Theory -- Why We're All Ignorant To an Extent

From a logical standpoint, we are always ignorant. This is because in a state where a person is not ignorant at all, that person would know everything. Knowing everything is the only state where no ignorance exists whatsoever.

Therefore, we are always ignorant, simply because it is impossible for us to know everything, no matter how we try. We can try to learn everything possible in the limited lifespan we have, but that will only make us less ignorant, not non-ignorant. This is because there are some things we may never know, due to our limited lifespan and the vastness of the universe.

A good example of ignorance is belief. Belief is always a product of ignorance, because belief is an attempt to be convinced about something you are not sure of, that exists. That’s what separates belief from knowledge. When you know something, you have no ignorance about the existence of it, because you know that it exists. Belief, on the other hand, is always based on an assumption that you think is likely to be true, not necessarily true beyond your thinking.

Philosophy isn't about belief, it is about knowledge. Your opinions matter less in philosophy compared to truths that contain the necessary components to be truths or at least possible truths. Philosophizing is the attempt to be more knowledgeable, and thus, less ignorant. A philosopher can't know everything because no one is capable of omniscience. Therefore, philosophizing always begins with accepting the fact that we are ignorant. Otherwise we wouldn't have a reason to philosophize in the first place.

Hence why there are some things in our life which we may never be able to know for sure, and thus we either believe that they exist or that they don’t. The most popular example of this is the origin of existence - Universal Ignorance theory. This is why the belief in one or more gods is a belief, and not something that even the most zealous believer knows for sure. Since religion is based on faith and not on knowledge, religion is less about the truth and more about belief, while philosophy is the exact opposite: More about the truth, less about belief.

I myself choose to be agnostic because I am aware of my ignorance.

The only way to “combat” this inevitable ignorance is to optimally reduce it, but even if you are to be as less ignorant as you can, you will never be perfectly non-ignorant. Do not expect anyone to always predict the results of their actions. Mesothelioma, an aggressive type of lung cancer, was caused to many victims because people didn't know, yet, the severe implications of asbestos usage. Many people were, are and will be, what is called in Hebrew, "wise afterwards", or only wiser beings after the damage has already been done, and not before it. That is the dangerous aspect of relying on assumptions too much, rather than on the truth.

If people knew the truth before, or cared about the truth strong enough, more than settle on assumptions, many people, for that matter, wouldn't have that lung cancer as result of asbestos usage. Never deem assumption as superior to the facts.

Due to the option of optimality, ignorance should be reduced even if it can never be reduced entirely. While we cannot be completely knowledgeable, we can be as less ignorant as realistically possible. As the cliché goes, "Knowledge is power," and indeed you may not know when your attained knowledge may help you in the future.

To avoid unnecessary harm and regret to both ourselves and others, we must make sure that we have all the knowledge available to us, before making an act. Acting on intuition is insufficient. Being as less ignorant as possible does not have to be a product of vanity when it can bring much good to the world. Knowing as much as possible, and using that knowledge for good, can prevent us from doing trauma to both ourselves and others.

Therefore, being very knowledgeable has its own share of morality. "Hell is paved with good intentions" only because we do not know the full extent of our intentions. Relying on the goodness of intention to do something, isn't good enough, when it can bring much harm to those around us. This is why I refuse to be innocent, and why I refuse to do things based on innocence. We must understand the nature of our actions, before making our actions.

That way we can also reduce the naturality of trauma.