Why do some people say the more you know, the more ignorant you get ?

Albert Einstein once described the relationship between knowledge and ignorance in this way: draw a circle, what a person knows is inside the circle, and what is ignorant is outside the circle; The more things are known, the larger the circle is, and the longer the outer edge of the circle will be, that is, the more a person knows, the more ignorance he knows.

Socrates is more incisive: the only thing I know is that I know nothing.

It is impossible not to admire the insight of these two wise men who have reached the highest height in the history of human science and culture. I've recently fallen into a state where the more capable people I meet, the more I feel incompetent.

There are too many awesome people! Those who have delved into the expert level in their own field, they dare to speak in front of the public, and their words are authoritative and convincing.

What's even more admirable is the "one specialization and multiple abilities" type of cattle, you see, Huang Jianxiang released a single after publishing several books, the foot critic Li Chengpeng wrote a long ** and sold well, and the other foot critic Dong Lu not to mention, he wrote songs and TV shows, and also wrote a lot of words on the blog. What a fulfilling (but also tasteful and fun) life! Their talent and energy are amazing.

In this strange metaphor we unconsciously use two criteria, one is knowledge - this criterion is relative, that is, different people can only say who is more knowledgeable after comparison, for example, the amount of knowledge of a person is now measured by the degree of education of a person, which is a standard set by society - the standard used to measure how much knowledge a person has.

Of course, this standard is not the standard for measuring all knowledge, but only a standard set by a certain society or a standard established by a certain society in the standard of "knowledge", and in the same way, the standard used to measure "knowledge" in different societies is not exactly the same.

But there is another criterion, the measure of "ignorance" – this criterion is absolute, i.e. it cannot be formulated. The reason is that "ignorant" things cannot be calculated, because if they are "ignorant" things for human beings, then it is impossible for us to know which and how many things are "ignorant".

If we can set a standard for measuring "ignorance", it also means that we already know what this "ignorance" is, and the remaining question is how to solve this "ignorance", then these things are not "ignorant".

It also reminds me of Albert Einstein's similar remark: Asking a question is often more profound than solving a problem. Because asking a question is actually a big step from "ignorance" to "knowledge", and solving a problem is a step forward from "not knowing much" to "knowing a lot".

Soss also mentions the point of understanding that the less knowledge a person has, the more ignorant he becomes—he will never become knowledgeable, and the more knowledge a person has, the less ignorant he is, and the knowledge at this time is relative.

The larger the circle we are exposed to, the more things we know, the longer the periphery of this circle will be, and the more we will be exposed to the unknown. It can be said that the more a person knows, the more he can feel ignorant. Writer Yang Daxia Yang Ke pointed out that how much you know will be how humble you are.

You can also understand it in this way, as if we know that the earth is round, that it is a circle, and that its periphery is an infinite universe, and we feel our ignorance for a moment. I don't know that the earth is round, I feel that the world is flat, and I am in the center of the world.

There are two people, one with more knowledge and one with little knowledge.

Excuse me, which of these two people do you think is more ignorant?

Some people will say that the person who has less knowledge will feel more ignorant because he is curious about everything.

It is also said that the person who has more knowledge will feel more ignorant, because the more he knows, the more he finds that he needs to learn.

Both explanations, as you might sound, make sense.

The reason why you think they all make sense is because they're all linear thinking. On which line you think, you will follow that line and slip it on the result it gives you.

But if you look at this issue again with analogy and divergent thinking, you may have a deeper understanding.

There are two circles in the picture above, one large and one small.

The big circle represents more knowledge, and the small circle represents less knowledge.

The outside of the circle represents ignorance, that is, ignorance.

The circumference of the great circle is much longer than the perimeter of the small circle.

Therefore, people who have more knowledge feel more ignorant than those who have less knowledge.

I can't help but think of Albert Einstein's remark about grinding:

Because asking a question is an exploration from one's own "blind experience" to "unknown", and once successful, something new will be generated.

And to solve a problem, from one's own "known" to "known", that is, what we often call experience, does not achieve increment.

Whether it is linear thinking or divergent thinking, there is no good or bad way of thinking itself. They all stand in different angles to understand the same thing, enrich the dimension of our cognition, and make our understanding of a thing more profound.

There are many times when people feel that "books are not used until they are used", because the importance of knowledge and skills is often not really recognized until they need to be applied. Here are some moments that might make people realize they need more knowledge or skills:

When faced with challenges or difficulties at work, you find yourself lacking the necessary skills or knowledge.

When you learn to guess new things or face grinding in a new environment, you find that your knowledge and skills are not enough to adapt.

When faced with health issues or life's challenges, find yourself lacking the necessary medical or scientific knowledge.

When experiencing difficulties or challenges in social or interpersonal relationships, find yourself lacking the necessary communication skills or knowledge of psychology.

In short, it is a common phenomenon that reminds us to keep learning and exploring in our daily lives, and to accumulate more knowledge and skills in order to respond to the challenges and opportunities that may arise in the future.

The more you know, the more you discover your ignorance.

A student of the ancient Greek philosopher Zeno of Elea once asked, "Teacher, you know many times more than I do, and you are very correct about your questions, but why do you always have doubts about your answers?" ”

Zeno drew two circles on the table, one large and one small, and pointed to these two circles and said, "The area of the big circle is my knowledge, and the area of the small circle is your knowledge, and I have more knowledge than you."

The outer part of the two circles is the ignorance of you and me. The circumference of the great circle is longer than the small circle, and therefore I have more contact with ignorance than you. That's why I often doubt myself. ”

Zeno's view has since been summed up in a famous saying: the more you know, the more you discover your ignorance.

When I think about when I first learned about something, I always felt that the door to a new world had been opened, for example, when I first learned to play the flute, I was excited to feel that I was a musical instrument genius.

But if you ask people who have been learning a musical instrument for many years, they often say that they are not good at it. It's not because they're humble, it's because when they dig a lot deeper, they really realize their breadth and their own shortcomings.

The so-called beginner is invincible in the world for three years, and then he is doubting life after three years of study.

As learning continues, most people will gradually discover their shortcomings. In fact, this is a very reasonable process - after going through depression and reorientation, I finally have a more accurate understanding of my own abilities.

Albert Einstein once vividly described the relationship between knowledge and ignorance, he said, let's draw a circle, what one knows is like the inside of the circle, and what one knows is like the outside of the circle. The more things a person knows, the bigger the circle becomes, and at the same time the outside of the circle gets bigger. That is, the more a person knows, the more ignorance he knows.

Socrates famously said: Wisdom means self-knowledge and ignorance.

We all think of ourselves as a knowledgeable person, able to absorb a lot of knowledge, so that we continue to expand, but our circle is also growing, and the field of ignorance is constantly expanding, and no one can occupy everything, and no one can have nothing. No one can do everything, and no one can be good for nothing.

The greater the power of a cadre, the greater his responsibility.

The greater his profit, the greater his risk.

The more wisdom a wise man has, the more ignorance he has.

The more people and strength a family has, the greater its consumption.

In a life, the more he invests, the greater his return.

On the contrary, the greater the risk of a **, the greater his profit.

The more ignorance a wise man has, the more wisdom he has.

The greater his consumption of a family, the greater his strength.

The greater the responsibility of a cadre, the greater his rights.

In a life, the more he returns, the more he invests.

The more a person knows, the more ignorant he becomes.