The ubiquity of ignorance: a practical theological challenge of our time
Although academics are dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge, few realize that as we construct knowledge, we simultaneously produce ignorance by habitually ignoring what we tend to ignore. When we do reflect on ignorance, we are more inclined to focus on other people’s ignorance than our own. In thi...
| Published in: | Practical theology |
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| Subtitles: | Challenges |
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group
[2020]
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| In: |
Practical theology
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| IxTheo Classification: | KBF British Isles VB Hermeneutics; Philosophy ZC Politics in general ZD Psychology |
| Further subjects: | B
Brexit
B Ignorance B habit theory B Demonization |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) |
| Summary: | Although academics are dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge, few realize that as we construct knowledge, we simultaneously produce ignorance by habitually ignoring what we tend to ignore. When we do reflect on ignorance, we are more inclined to focus on other people’s ignorance than our own. In this paper, I take the case of Brexit as the ‘perfect storm’ of ignorance to re-examine how practical theologians in the UK (and beyond) approach research. I explore the practice of demonization in caricatures from both sides of the referendum, using the work of Elaine Pagels. I then open up the practice by identifying related habits of ignorance, drawing on the theories of John Dewey. I challenge practical theologians not to leave ourselves to our own research devices intended to mitigate our ignorance, but rather to consider that our own fallibility requires methods that cultivate dependency on others not like us, so that we might help one another know what we would otherwise ignore. |
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| ISSN: | 1756-0748 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Practical theology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/1756073X.2020.1728959 |