A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again.
Alexander Pope
Both the diagram and the quotation above illustrate the human tendency to think we know more than we do. They do not discourage learning, but remind us that stopping after just a little learning can be more dangerous than no learning at all.
The spring
In the Alexander Pope quotation, the “Pierian spring” is a reference to the mythical fountain of knowledge favored by the Muses. This metaphorical spring is the source of knowledge for both the arts and the sciences.
The important point is that taking just a small taste (“shallow draughts”) of knowledge will actually stupefy a person. Only by drinking deeply can one eventually become wise. Drinking deeply at the fount of knowledge implies, of course, intellectual humility and a serious investment of time and effort.
Later in the piece, Pope indicates that, once one has actually climbed a mountain of significant knowledge, the vision of knowledge still to be gained will stretch out before you as endless hills on the horizon.
The mountain
The diagram above comes from the book Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam Grant. In the book, Grant’s thesis is that the path to wisdom requires the ability to know when to rethink and abandon old ideas.
In Chapter 2, where this diagram appears, he discusses “armchair quarterback” syndrome and the Dunning-Kruger effect. The armchair quarterback likes to comment on things he has no expertise in. The Dunning-Kruger effect is when a person is too uninformed about something to realize he is uninformed.
Grant cites research that shows that the less a person knows about a subject, the more certain he is likely to be about his opinions on the subject. Modern social media allows arrogant ignorant people to blast their uninformed opinions around the world with no editors and no filters. The less informed are actually MORE inclined to express their thoughts publicly than the actual experts.
The scriptures
Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.
Proverbs 8:10-11
For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
Proverbs 4:7-9
Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.
She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.
The scriptures put a premium value on knowledge. This is not just knowledge of God, but of all Truth. However, in the pursuit of knowledge, the scriptures encourage humility and caution against arrogance.
Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.
1 Samuel 2:3
Confident humility
Knowledge comes to those who are humble enough to realize they have things to learn. This is not to say that one should have low self-confidence. It is possible to believe in yourself and have confidence that there ARE answers, without believing that you already HAVE all the answers.
The solution to getting stuck on the top of mount stupid is, first of all, when you are still an amateur at something, keep your mouth shut (and restrain your Facebook comments). Second, in order to make progress you must realize and admit that you probably are not as knowledgeable on a given topic as you think you are.
Once you have stopped drawing attention to your ignorance, you can then begin to listen to others, seek out true experts, and study even harder. Deep knowledge, expertise, even wisdom can be obtained — but not easily and not quickly.
For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.
2 Nephi 28:30
Sources
Alexander Pope, “A Little Learning,” an except from An Essay on Criticism, 1711.
Adam Grant, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know, Viking, February 2, 2021.
Brian Ferguson, “Are you sure about that?” Insight, June 3, 2019.
Brian Ferguson, “Arrogant Ignorance,” Insight, September 7, 2020.
Brian Ferguson, “Learning Requires Humility,” Insight, April 1, 2019.
Brian Ferguson, “Fox News and the Chains of Hell,” Insight, February 17, 2020.
Well said, provocative. and timely.
Hugh Nibley tells the story of one of his favorite scholars, Scaliger, while learning Hebrew, of his being willing to learn from children in a Jewish ghetto, of being willing to be corrected by children, rather than hide behind his expertise in Greek and Latin and the walls of a University.
I remember a moment when Margaret Barker came to lecture at BYU for the first time in 2003, when during one of her presentations to a room full of BYU scholars, and a few guests like me, and a slide of the Sistine chapel figure of God reaching towards Adam was up, someone commented that the cloud in which God is situated is the anatomically correct human brain, she turned around, gazed, and beamed in the joy of insight, and said, with childlike wonder and delight, “I never thought of that!” It struck me then that her open willingness to admit ignorance and to joyfully learn something from those who had come to learn from her, had a great deal to do with why she had so much to teach us.
In Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell notes that the hero’s journey always involves leaving the known and comfortable. Separation — Initiation — Return.
A key question is “Where do you gain knowledge?” Of course there is experience but you can’t experience it all. You have to be able to seek out and trust authoritative sources. You can always find someone that agrees with you so this makes it hard at times to be able to discern the truth.
Excellent article.
Your analysis is limited in that it ignores getting beyond “Mount Stupid” via external forces. For example, our LDS views of race have been COMPLETELY transformed via external forces. Would we have our view of blacks as it is now, or people of color as it is now without external pressures via the civil rights movement? You know the answer to that, which is NO. I challenge you to go back to the 60’s are read the quotes on race via Mark E Petersen and many others in authority. Insight sometimes come from external forces (I include myself).
Lew, and how many LDS still reject the more enlightened views on race? The point of the post is that enlightenment is ultimately a personal decision that requires personal humility and personal study. OF COURSE wisdom comes from outside ourselves. But we must be willing to listen in order to learn.