Deliberate Ignorance: Choosing Not to Know

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers the fundamental concepts, taxonomy, and theoretical frameworks of 'Deliberate Ignorance' as presented in the lecture notes by Ralph Hertwig and Christoph Engel.

Deliberate ignorance

The conscious individual or collective choice not to seek or use information or knowledge, particularly when acquisition costs are negligible and potential benefits are large.

Informavores

A term describing humans as biological entities hardwired to monitor their environment and acquire through a constant hunger for information.

Epistemological abstinence

The practice of refraining from acquiring or consulting information, focusing on its reality, functions, and rationality.

Principle of total evidence

A philosophical concept from Carnap ($1947$) suggesting that utility maximizers should use all freely available evidence when estimating a probability.

Emotion-regulation and regret-avoidance device

A function of deliberate ignorance used to prevent or delay the acquisition of unwanted information that might compromise cherished beliefs or cause mental discomfort.

Defensive avoidance

Also known as information avoidance; behavior intended to prevent or delay the acquisition of available but potentially unwanted information, primarily studied in the health domain.

Suspense- and surprise-maximization device

A use of deliberate ignorance to preserve drama and fun by revealing key outcomes, such as the ending of a mystery novel, only at the last minute.

Performance-enhancing device

The act of deliberately foregoing feedback on task performance to avoid arousal or distractions that deplete cognitive resources needed for the task.

Inside view

A cognitive mindset where individuals look at the unique details of a specific plan rather than the statistics of similar past cases, which can be instrumental in choosing to engage in an ambitious project.

Strategic device

A category of deliberate ignorance used to gain bargaining advantages, discipline the self, eschew responsibility, or avoid liability.

Self-disciplining device

A strategy used by individuals with time-inconsistent preferences to avoid information that might change their behavior in a way they will later regret.

Ostrich instruction

A legal instruction in $U.S.$ courts where a jury may find the knowledge requirement satisfied by a defendant's willful ignorance of relevant facts.

Impartiality and fairness device

A application of deliberate ignorance, such as blind auditioning or double-blind trials, designed to preempt bias and ensure justice.

Veil of ignorance

A thought experiment by Rawls ($1999$) where individuals decide on social standards without knowing their personal or social circumstances.

Cognitive-sustainability and information-management device

The use of deliberate ignorance to manage limited attentional resources and maintain agency against the flux of environmental stimuli in an information-heavy world.

Bliss point

The specific concentration of sugar, fat, or salt engineered in food products to maximize sensory pleasure and capture consumer attention.

Consequentialist perspective

An assessment of deliberate ignorance that compares all foreseeable consequences of acquiring versus neglecting information for both the decision maker and others.

Harm principle

A principle attributed to Mill ($2014$) that can be invoked to evaluate whether ignoring information constitutes a risk or imminent harm to others.

Efficient ignorance

An economic concept where society might approve of ignorance if the expected damage to a victim is smaller than the gain for the person ignoring the information.

Anticipatory utility

The utility derived from feelings such as anxiety or hope about a future outcome, which can influence the choice to seek or avoid information.

Ecological rationality

An analysis to determine if deliberate ignorance is a successful cognitive tool based on the interaction between the actor and their environmental context.

Sapere aude

A motto of the Enlightenment from Kant ($1784$) meaning "dare to use your own reason," which the authors argue includes the courage to choose not to know.