# People Sometimes Choose Not to Know by Gerd Gigerenzer > “Ignorance is generally pictured as an unwanted state of mind, and the notion of deliberate ignorance may raise eyebrows. Yet people often choose to be ignorant, demonstrating a form of negative curiosity at odds with concepts such as ambiguity aversion, a general need for certainty, and the Bayesian principle of total evidence.” > **— Gerd Gigerenzer**, *“Deliberate Ignorance,” Edge Annual Question, 2017* ## Sources and Context - **Original or near-original source:** [“Deliberate Ignorance,” Edge Annual Question, 2017](https://www.edge.org/response-detail/27084) — Gigerenzer defines self-chosen ignorance and later distinguishes avoidance of distress, suspense, strategy, and fairness; the passage is descriptive rather than a blanket condemnation. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Article:** [[articles/Peak Person and the Predicaments of Prediction|Peak Person and the Predicaments of Prediction]] - **Article:** [[articles/Ambiguity Will Destroy Man and Machine|Ambiguity Will Destroy Man and Machine]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Social Psychology|Social Psychology]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Social Psychology|Social Psychology]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “Ignorance is generally pictured as an unwanted state of mind, and the notion of deliberate ignorance may raise eyebrows. Yet people often choose to be ignorant, demonstrating a form of negative curiosity at odds with concepts such as ambiguity aversion, a general need for certainty, and the Bayesian principle of total evidence.” — Gerd Gigerenzer, “Deliberate Ignorance,” Edge Annual Question, 2017 https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-gerd-gigerenzer-people-choose-not-know ```