Sonja Riegler - Lecture - Church of Ignorance

Church of Ignorance  Festival at 5-7 Sept 2024, DH5 Cultur Club - Ars Electronica Festival 2024

Lecture by Sonja Riegler, 6 September 2024
Moderation: Raffaela Edelbauer

In recent years, the exploration of ignorance has garnered significant attention across multiple philosophical domains, particularly in the realm of epistemology. Critical epistemologists emphasize that ignorance is not merely an innocent lack of knowledge; it often serves as a political and strategic practice. Doing so is important when considering harmful and discriminatory consequences of ignorance. Yet, is ignorance as a strategic practice inherently bad? In this talk, I explore the emancipatory, positive dimensions of ignorance, particularly for marginalized groups. Doing so challenges the prevalent belief that gaining or sharing knowledge is always beneficial. Instead, I highlight situations where rejecting dissenting views or withholding information can be advantageous. Such actions can strengthen internal group cohesion and enhance the safety and well-being of vulnerable communities.

Sonja Riegler is a philosopher working at the intersection of critical feminist and political epistemology, critical race studies, and feminist philosophy of science. In her dissertation, she develops a new framework for understanding ignorance, detailing its various societal and political functions, mechanisms, causes, and effects. Sonja also works as a freelance journalist for print and radio in the fields of cultural- and science communication.

https://cpenetwork.editorx.io/home

https://univie.academia.edu/SRiegler

https://dh5.space/choi/