Which is the biggest threat to society; knowledge or ignorance?

Answer 1

the old saying is ` a Little knowledge is a dangerous thing` but my interposing is that if you have more ignorance than knowledge that is dangerous!

Answer 2

Ignorance

Answer 3

depends on what society means. For political or religious reasons, ignorance sometimes is a better tool than knowledge (the ability to think can give too much power and the possibility of debate)

Answer 4

Someone said to me: what's better?
To live in ignorance and bliss, or to actually have knowledge and feel sometimes sad that you know things are wrong an you can't change them.
But what we really have to determine is what do we do with the knowledge we have, because knowledge is power.
We also have to know what really drives society. For example If you have a society that has education, goals, and a sense of justice knowledge will mean progress and unity. But if we have a society full of hate, and selfishness better leave them in ignorance.
I leave you with one example the atom bomb, when the guy who created the atom bomb did it, he did it to increase knowledge but gave it to a world of ignorants that used it to kill millions of people. In that moment I'm sure he asked himself am I a genius or an idiot.
So in retrospective is not knowledge or ignorance that threaten society is society that threaten itself.

Answer 5

I think they both can have equally damaging consequences depending on the person. A very knowledgeable person might make very specific plans to hurt others - a large group of people (mass destruction). A very ignorant person might do the same thing, just on a smaller scale. Slowly feed wrong information to people which is laced with generalizations and stereotypes. This spreads and creates hatred and fear. A slow growing cancer, as opposed to one major act correographed by a knowledgeable individual.

Answer 6

Ignorance.

Answer 7

Ignorance!

Answer 8

"[XM] mind hawser? From a Canadian perspective, knowledge poses the greatest threat to our society, and ignorance, if not our friend, remains our staunchest ally. If the Americans were to gain knowledge of our cannibalistic practices, for instance, we should anticipate difficulties in the Hollywood Operation. Don't step there [1G]"--excerpted from a conversation overheard in a forbidden place where I could not linger.

. . .

So, . . . now, . . . uh, . . . is your knowledge enlarged, or has your ignorance gained an ounce or two?

. . . and are you now more or less threatened, society?

Answer 9

good question. I would say ignorance. But then knowledge in the wrong ppl's hands can be a threat too, so really it's both.

Answer 10

Since ignorance is bliss, I'd have to say knowledge is our biggest threat. Knowledge based on objective reality makes us see our utter death & annihilation, no afterlife, no higher being, no eternal life....pretty depressing. At least through ignorance, we're cushioned from some of life's grim realities.

Answer 11

I believe it was Clausewitz that stressed the importance of knowing one's enemy. So...in order to be a threat to something/someone, one must be "knowledgeable" of it. How else would it be possible to defeat it?

In "Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College", Gray started the whole "ignorance is bliss" phenomenon. In the following line he says " 'tis folly to be wise". I'd like to think that he was referring to one's perception in that piece. Some people perceived that ignorant people threaten society, but I disagree. It's the informed individuals that actually have power...remember Sir Francis Bacon's famous quote, "Knowledge itself is power".