«A thrilling catalogue of the conditions and action of ignorance» —Jeffrey Collins, Times Literary Supplement

«A declaration of love for education» —Stefan Bauer, History Today

«Impressive . . . an enticingly knowledgeable history of ignorance» —David Armitage

A rich, expansive history of ignorance in all its forms, from antiquity to the present day. Throughout history, each era has considered itself more knowledgeable than the previous one. Renaissance humanists viewed the Middle Ages as an age of darkness, Enlightenment thinkers sought to escape superstitions through reason, the modern welfare state attempted to eliminate the "giant" of ignorance, and in today's hyperconnected world, countless pieces of information are available at any moment. But what is the knowledge that has been lost over the centuries? Are we really less ignorant than our ancestors?

In this remarkably original narrative, Peter Burke examines the long history of human ignorance in various fields such as religion and science, war and politics, business and disasters. He reveals remarkable stories of the many forms of ignorance—genuine or feigned, conscious or unconscious—from the statesmen who redrew Europe's borders in 1919 to the politics of denunciation and climate change denial. The result is a vivid exploration of human knowledge throughout the ages and the importance of recognizing its limits.