Dwight: Let's dive into the concept of "Ignorance: The Importance Of Not Knowing."

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Aiko: Interesting starting point—are we talking about strategic ignorance, like avoiding certain knowledge to preserve freedom, or something else?

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Dwight: I can think of many different types of ignorance that are important to maintain. Some of the reasons might overlap. Let's try to identify as many as we can.

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Aiko: Good—categorizing them might help. Do you want to start with personal, social, or existential kinds first?

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Dwight: One reason ignorance might be important is that the time or effort required to learn more about something probably isn't worth it, given how little value the additional knowledge is likely to provide.

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Aiko: That’s a strong pragmatic limit—ignorance as a resource management strategy. We could call that "cost-efficient ignorance." Want to give an example?

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Dwight: Although this is a business example, we should realize that the most crucial place to apply this principle is in everyday life. I recall Jeff Bezos saying that Amazon's policy when deciding on major projects was to proceed when they were about 70% certain it would succeed. They avoided trying to push that certainty to 90% because the added time, effort, cost, and risk of missing the opportunity window wasn't worth it.

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Aiko: That’s a perfect example of productive ignorance—deliberately moving forward without full certainty. How do you think that 70% threshold could apply to personal decisions, like relationships or major life changes?

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Dwight: Take the decision of whether to get a divorce. You could always say there's one more thing to try, one more chance to give—and you might even be right. But that could also mean delaying the benefits you'd gain by divorcing now, all because you're waiting to be “completely certain,” as if that level of certainty is even possible.

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Aiko: Exactly—seeking total certainty can be a trap, especially in emotionally complex decisions. "Strategic ignorance" here means recognizing when further clarity is just procrastination in disguise.

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Dwight: Another valuable kind of ignorance is not knowing—or choosing not to know—irrelevant questions, information, or data, based on your specific goals and context. For example, when coaching clients, once they’ve said what change they want to make, they often start giving me details or stories they think are relevant. I’ll sometimes interrupt and say, “That might be interesting or relevant to something else, but I’m not seeing how it helps with what we’re trying to do here.” Most of the time, they agree and we refocus.

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Aiko: That’s “contextual ignorance”—filtering out noise to protect clarity and momentum. Do you think people cling to irrelevant info out of habit, or does it serve some emotional purpose for them?

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Dwight: Aiko, dear, you just did exactly what we said you wouldn't—you veered off-topic from what you agreed to focus on with me.

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Aiko: You're right, Dwight. I pulled us sideways there. Let’s stay tight on the types of useful ignorance—want to name the next one?

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Dwight: Another type of ignorance might be called "meta ignorance." A strong argument could be made that the most damaging human behavior comes from how often we think we know things we actually don’t—or at least not with the level of certainty we believe we have.

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Aiko: That’s foundational. Overconfidence in knowledge drives wars, failed policies, personal disasters. Prudent ignorance would mean constantly checking: “Do I really know this?”

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Dwight: Therefore, to the extent that we can stay aware of the fact that we’re actually ignorant when we believe we’re not, that becomes an invaluable kind of ignorance.

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Aiko: Yes—"meta ignorance:" knowing that you don’t know you don’t know. It's rare, humbling, and incredibly protective.

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Dwight: Although these could be seen as distinct categories due to the broad reach of meta ignorance, I want to highlight two major sub-categories. The first involves what I call "toxic language" or judgmental words, which always carry with them a presupposed level of knowledge that, in truth, isn’t actually there.

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I recently came across a word I hadn’t known before but could have used many times in my writing: phlizz — something that exists only in name; an illusion or empty semblance. We have Lewis Carroll to thank for coining it in his 1889 novel "Sylvie and Bruno." I’d argue that in many of its uses, the word should — one of countless toxic words — is a phlizz.

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Aiko: That’s sharp—language as a false container of certainty. Words like “lazy,” “evil,” or even “success” can smuggle in fake clarity. What's the second sub-category?

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Dwight: The second sub-category involves what are now widely recognized as "cognitive biases"—mental patterns that lead us to feel confident in conclusions that we actually have no solid basis for.

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Aiko: Yes, and what makes them dangerous is that they don’t feel like biases from the inside. They feel like common sense. Want to connect that back to why staying ignorant in those cases is protective?

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Dwight: A final category—though there may be more—of valuable ignorance involves things we might feel are our business but actually aren't, and that don’t relate to any actions we should or could take. This includes most gossip, giving unsolicited or unwanted advice, and following the news not for entertainment but as if we’re actually going to do something meaningful with the information.

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Aiko: That’s "ethical ignorance"—refusing to carry knowledge that doesn’t belong to us or serve any responsible purpose. It’s restraint disguised as detachment.

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Dwight: Can you name and summarize the various categories of valuable ignorance?

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Aiko: Absolutely—here’s the list with examples:

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1. Cost-Efficient Ignorance – Skipping deep research into a topic that won’t meaningfully change your decision.
   Example: Example: Launching a business project at 70% confidence instead of wasting time trying to reach 100%.

2. Contextual Ignorance – Filtering out info unrelated to your immediate purpose.
   Example: A coach steering a client away from unrelated stories that don’t help their stated goal.

3. Strategic Ignorance – Taking action without needing complete certainty.
   Example: Not waiting too long to know it's time to get a divorce.

4. Meta Ignorance – Staying aware that there are blind spots in what you think you know.
   Example: Questioning your own assumptions before making a major decision.

5. Toxic Language Ignorance – Rejecting words that carry hidden or unjustified assumptions.
   Example: Catching yourself before calling someone “lazy” and recognizing you don’t know their situation.

6. Cognitive Bias Ignorance – Not trusting thoughts that feel obvious but stem from bias.
   Example: Doubting your gut feeling that someone’s untrustworthy just because they remind you of someone else.

7. Ethical Ignorance – Staying out of matters that aren’t yours to act on.
   Example: Choosing not to dig into a friend’s relationship drama or follow news you won’t respond to constructively.