Gary C. Jacobson
Motivated ignorance differs from the more familiar concept of rational ignorance in that ignorance is motivated by the anticipated costs of possessing knowledge, not acquiring it. That is, it is not simply that the benefits of accurate political knowledge may be less than the cost of attaining it and thus not worth pursuing but that the costs of having accurate information exceed the benefits.
When expressed … [ Read more ]
Author: Gary C. Jacobson | Source: The New York Times | Subjects: Education | Scholarship, Facts | Bias, Life & Society, Politics & Public Policy, Psychology | Behavior