willful ignorance
Deliberate not-knowing stance
Willful ignorance is the deliberate choice to remain uninformed about something, especially to avoid responsibility or uncomfortable truths.
Unlike ordinary ignorance, it involves actively resisting knowledge: His willful ignorance about climate science lets him avoid changing his habits.
The law sometimes treats willful ignorance as equivalent to actual knowledge—you can't escape liability by choosing not to know.
Rejection of connection
- denialismRejection of established facts
- rejectionDenial of acceptance
- refusalAct of declining
- repudiationFormal refusal to accept
dismissal · negation · disbelief · contradiction · naysaying · discrediting · spurning · unbelief
Act of escaping detection
- turning a blind eyeIntentionally disregarding something obvious
- sidesteppingMoving aside to avoid
- deflectionChange in trajectory
- circumventionAct of going around
dodging · ducking · elusion · bypassing · looking away · head in sand · see no evil · selective attention
Making something feasible
- tacit approvalWordless permission or acceptance
- silent consentAgreement without speaking
- culpabilityDeserving blame for wrongdoing
- accountabilityObligation for one's actions
moral responsibility · accessory · aiding · abetting · turning blind eye · plausible deniability
Unyielding adherence to position
- intransigenceRefusal to compromise
- closed-mindednessRefusal to consider other views
- recalcitranceStubborn refusal to obey
- defianceOpen resistance to authority
adamancy · obduracy · inflexibility · rigidity · immovability · resistance · doubling down · unteachable
Lack of interest
- unconcernAbsence of worry
- disinterestAbsence of bias
- detachmentSeparation or emotional uninvolvement
- complacencyUncritical satisfaction with oneself
nonchalance · passivity · bystanding · disengagement · not my problem · couldn't care less · tuning out · checking out
disavowal
Rejection of connection
repudiation · dismissal · negation · disbelief · contradiction · naysaying · discrediting · spurning · unbelief · skepticism
evasion
Act of escaping detection
- turning a blind eyeIntentionally disregarding something obvious
- sidesteppingMoving aside to avoid
- deflectionChange in trajectory
circumvention · dodging · ducking · elusion · bypassing · looking away · head in sand · see no evil · selective attention · elephant in room
enabling
Making something feasible
- tacit approvalWordless permission or acceptance
- silent consentAgreement without speaking
- culpabilityDeserving blame for wrongdoing
accountability · moral responsibility · accessory · aiding · abetting · turning blind eye · plausible deniability
obstinacy
Unyielding adherence to position
- intransigenceRefusal to compromise
- closed-mindednessRefusal to consider other views
- recalcitranceStubborn refusal to obey
defiance · adamancy · obduracy · inflexibility · rigidity · immovability · resistance · doubling down · unteachable · incorrigible
indifference
Lack of interest
- unconcernAbsence of worry
- disinterestAbsence of bias
- detachmentSeparation or emotional uninvolvement
complacency · nonchalance · passivity · bystanding · disengagement · not my problem · couldn't care less · tuning out · checking out · shrugging off
- playing dumbblank stare, vacant stare, selective memory
- narrow-mindednessnarrow-mindedness, narrowness, close-mindedness, closed-mindedness, close-minded
- self-deceptiondenial, delusion, wishful thinking, rationalization, false belief
- irrationalityirrationality, unreason, illogic, madness, insanity
- mental flawsstupidity, foolishness, dullness, obtuseness, narrow-mindedness
- Blameblame, fault, culprit, accusation, guilt-tripping
willful ignorancedue diligence
Pre-transaction reasonable care
intellectual curiosity · fact-finding · research · investigation · study
willful ignoranceintellectual honesty
Commitment to truth over ego
intellectual courage · critical thinking · open-mindedness · candor · intellectual rigor
willful ignoranceconscious awareness
State of perceiving oneself
enlightenment · wakefulness · mindfulness · vigilance · attentiveness
will, ignorant, willful, ignorance, willfully, willfulness, wilfulness, wilfully