What is meant by "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing"?

Question

In your opinion, what is meant by the phrase in Alexander Pope's famous poem....which quotes:

"A learning is a dang'rous Thing;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian Spring:
There shallow Draughts intoxicate the Brain,
And drinking largely sobers us again."

Answer 1

Not enough knowledge is a dangerous thing! Look at the idiot president of the United States.

Alexander Pope was a drunk!

Answer 2

People often misquote Pope, as you did, by saying 'A little knowledge is a dangerous thing' when it clearly is 'A little learning is a dangerous thing'. Having knowledge and learning something are different concepts entirely. However, to your question. Pope is telling us that it is important to have total 'learning' of whatever topic you are studying since only partial 'learning' may cause us to make errors or interpret things incorrectly (intoxicate the brain). By learning more (drinking largely) we become 'sober' again, thus acquiring total knowledge that allows proper judgement.

The reference to Pierian Springs is because In Greek mythology it was said that those who drank of the Pierian Spring would be graced with knowledge and inspiration

Answer 3

Ever meet someone who is just learning about a subject and quickly making assumptions based on that knowledge? It goes along those lines. If you have just basic knowledge (think reading the headlines about todays news and thinking you REALLY know what's going on in today's world) then you form opinions without much depth of all sides to the story, historical information, etc. Communicating that to others increases the impact of that opinion and therefore can create poor understanding of a subject within a community of people such as a friendship circle.

An example of this is propaganda such as that used during times of war. If you look at how Jews were made to look in cartoons and common news information in the media of German at the time before the holocaust and after WWI, you see that they were made to be negative and evil, but without much detailed information with much backing.

Answer 4

A shallow, superficial sampling of learning is dangerous because it gives us a heady, powerful feeling that we know more than we actually do know, and if we act on incomplete information, it can land us in big problems.

On the other hand, to study anything more in depth requires patience. After we drink in a large amount of learning, we not only have more knowledge, but we have also learned to value time and humility.

Answer 5

To know just a bit about a topic is not enough to make informed decisions.

Answer 6

i figure it means you can't take advantage of someone who knows whats going on. that you have power if you have knowledge, like school, voicing your opinions.....stuff like that

Answer 7

because sometimes a person can know too much of something that shouldn't know or doesn't need to know at all!

Answer 8

Ignorance is bliss!