The greatest enemy to truth and progress is not ignorance but arrogance. An ignorant person could still be aware of their limitations, and seek to broaden their knowledge. But an arrogant person refuses to question or evaluate their beliefs, or to understand any perspective or data they don’t automatically agree with. The path to knowledge requires a good amount of humility in the face of so many views, ideas, and facts.
Granted, I’m not saying one cannot at once be confident and intelligent , merely that we while we are learning something, we must balance certainty and confidence with a degree of modesty and open-mindedness. There are too many deeply-held convictions that are predicated on mere pride and self-righteousness; so many people stake their egos on “being right” and remaining true to their beliefs. But a commitment to truth and knowledge means a willingness to accept how humble we are in the face of this grand and complex universe.
