The Pursuit of Ignorance

PDF Version

It is a common and intimidating myth that brilliant academic writing flows effortlessly from a mind that already possesses all the answers. We often picture the seasoned scholar, sitting down to simply transcribe their fully-formed, masterful arguments. This perception, however, creates a daunting barrier for aspiring writers, suggesting that scholarship is reserved for a select few. The insightful guide How Scholars Write by Aaron Ritzenberg and Sue Mendelsohn dismantles this myth, revealing a counterintuitive truth: powerful academic work begins not with knowledge, but with a deliberate and strategic pursuit of ignorance.

This approach is centered on what the authors, borrowing from neurobiologist Stuart Firestein, call "knowledgeable ignorance." This is not a willful refusal to learn, but rather a researched and informed state of mind that is keenly aware of what the scholarly community, as a whole, does not yet know. Firestein illustrates this by describing a scientific breakthrough not as a triumphant conclusion, but as a thrilling beginning that "opened up vistas of questions" he couldn't have previously imagined. This mindset reframes expertise not as having all the answers, but as being able to articulate the most compelling questions. It aligns with the poet John Keats's concept of "negative capability"—the profound capacity to exist within "uncertainties, Mysteries, doubts" without an irritable rush toward a premature conclusion.

This embrace of uncertainty is what allows a scholar to identify a true academic "problem." In this context, a problem is not a mistake or a flaw, but an intellectual tension or dissonance that genuinely merits resolution. It is the moment a writer encounters a contradiction, a gap in the common understanding, or an observation that doesn't quite fit. Articulating this problem becomes the driving force of the research, inviting the reader on a journey of discovery. Journalist Michael Pollan masterfully demonstrates this by describing his experience of eating a steak while reading a book on animal rights. By performing his own "cognitive dissonance" on the page, he builds trust and authority, showing that he is a writer willing to grapple with complexity rather than simply stating a fixed opinion.

To put this mindset into practice, scholars adopt specific habits, starting with how they read. Instead of reading merely to find quotes that confirm a preconceived argument, they read to find questions and complications. They strategically map the existing scholarly conversation to understand its key voices and debates. They pay close attention to the central terms of a field, especially those with contested or evolving definitions. Most importantly, they read with an active lookout for contradictions and gaps—those dissonances that common understandings fail to explain, thereby opening up a space for a new and meaningful contribution.

Similarly, their writing habits are geared toward discovery rather than presentation, especially in the early stages. For expert writers, the initial act of writing is not a high-pressure performance but a series of low-stakes activities used to generate and clarify thought. They engage in focused freewriting, where the goal is to get ideas onto the page without concern for grammar or polish. They use writing as a way to offload thoughts from a limited working memory, which frees up crucial mental space for deeper and more complex thinking. Furthermore, they understand that writing is often a social act, and they talk through their developing ideas with peers and mentors to refine them in conversation.

Ultimately, this approach transforms the entire experience of academic writing. By resisting the pressure to have a perfect thesis from day one, a writer is free to become an explorer. The goal shifts from defending a static position to embarking on a genuine investigation of a compelling puzzle. When you begin your next project by embracing "knowledgeable ignorance," you move beyond the anxiety of performance and into the thrill of the pursuit, turning the writing process itself into a powerful engine of creation and discovery.