Ignorancia

Throughout history, each generation has considered itself wiser than the last. Renaissance humanists thought of the Middle Ages as an age of darkness; Enlightenment philosophers tried to combat superstition with reason; The modern welfare state sought to end the "giant" of ignorance, and in today's hyperconnected world, information is offered to us in a seemingly unlimited way. But what about the knowledge lost over the centuries? Are we really less ignorant than our ancestors? In this highly original account, Peter Burke examines the long history of human ignorance in religion and science, war and politics, economics and catastrophe. And he brings to light surprising episodes that illustrate the many forms of ignorance that have shaped our civilization, from those politicians who redrawn Europe's borders in 1919 to climate change deniers. The result is a brilliant exploration, impregnated with irony and a good sense of humor, of the lowest and stupidest hours of humanity.