A state of rational ignorance
A) is a reflection of too little education.
B) makes sense only if information is a free good.
C) exists only in ideal representative democracies.
D) makes sense when the costs of becoming informed are greater than the benefits.
E) none of the above

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A state of rational ignorance exists when the benefits of becoming informed are outweighed by the costs of doing so. In other words, it makes sense not to be well-informed about certain topics if the effort, time, and resources required to gain sufficient knowledge about it are too high compared to the potential benefits of that knowledge. This is a common phenomenon in real-life decision-making, including political decisions. Therefore, choices A, B, C, and E are incorrect.

A State of Rational Ignorance