A Little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing: A little educated people can be dangerous & foolish!

‘A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing’ is a phrase usually used to mean that less educated people or those with a little bit of knowledge about a given subject may be overconfident and think they know or are experts, which can lead to misinformation and serious problems.

In my view, the ‘less educated’ or with ‘a little bit of knowledge’ can mean those with less formal education, maybe, some Diploma holders, then Bachelor’s degree holders and or some Master’s degree depending on the individual and or the institution.

Besides formal education, it can also mean people who do not reason, rationalize, or get time to think through issues. These people talk too much and rarely listen or learn anything! Otherwise, among the uneducated, we can have wise people who are patient, slow to judge, and always take time to reflect and think about issues.

Whatever category of people or individuals we refer to as those with ‘a little bit of knowledge’, the idea is that these people know less or some few things about a topic and use that little ‘awareness’ to confuse themselves and others. Sadly, in most cases, they have a big following!

According to John D. Cook, a complex system or, for that matter, a certain belief or assertion or dogma, has ‘many causes acting on it’. ‘People who have a little bit of knowledge of a subject’, Cook observes, ‘are only aware of some of the major causes that are acting, and probably they are aware of the most legible causes. They have an unbalanced view because they are aware of the forces pushing in one direction but not aware of other forces pushing in other directions.’

Personally, I notice this tragedy among the best of us! We claim to know when we surely haven’t studied enough or done extensive reading or reflection and analysis on a matter. This can be dangerous, sometimes leading to death, either physical death (for example, due to errors in medicine, industry and machinery, law, etc) or spiritual death and agony (due to errors in theology and or religion or belief).

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Origin of the phrase, a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing!

The phrase is commonly attributed to the British poet and satirist, Alexander Pope, in his 1709 essay, An Essay on Criticism. In the essay, Pope wrote:

‘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’.

Apparently, Pope wasn’t the first to suggest the idea. According to The Phrase Finder, Pope founded the ‘learning version’ of the original ‘a little bit of knowledge’ phrase. The original idea was coined by Francis Bacon, an English philosopher and statesman (and, arguably, the father of empiricism) who lived between 1561 and 1626. Bacon, in his 1601 essay on atheism, wrote this:

‘A little philosophy inclineth man’s mind to atheism; but depth in philosophy bringeth men’s minds about to religion’.

Meaning of the phrase, a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing

People who have little knowledge about a topic, for example, medical, religion, education, politics, law or anything always pretend to know more than they actually do. Because they are a little educated and can be convincing, it is easy for them to shout off the little they know and mislead others. This author makes it clearer:

‘As soon as we start having a little knowledge, it intoxicates us with pride and arrogance. However, as soon as a person becomes more knowledgeable, he becomes sober. The poet has beautifully used metaphors to convey that when a person does not get more knowledge and does not become an expert, he often becomes haughty and mislead others.’

Accordingly, other scholars think that the phrase or idiom means that one can become falsely overconfident in his expertise. Therefore, we are required to make extensive research and study more before we can declare ourselves experts. And, importantly, all this should be done in humility since, ideally, learning never ends!

Evidence of ‘A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing’ in practice

Across the world of scholars, deep learning is regarded as a better way of transformational education or learning. According to Sayles and colleagues (2006), contrary to surface learning that encourages memorization and recall of acquired knowledge, deep learning requires the use of deep levels of thought such as reflection and analysis. When learners can actively interact with acquired knowledge, it means they ask questions, challenge the knowledge, and figure out the whys for the given rules. This gives learners broader context and ability to innovate and adapt to changing knowledge and rules.

Sadly, notes Sayles (2006), traditional curriculum and methods of teaching don’t encourage deep learning. In most schools and for some programs, deep thought isn’t encouraged. Students are pumped with information and, during exams, are required to regurgitate the exact information. And learning is graded based on this ability to memorize and recall learned information. However, argues Sayles (2006), this is dangerous. And it fits into the phrase, a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing.

For example, during arguments regarding epistemology or truth and/or how to get to it, many educated fellows demand for empirical evidence for whatever claims of truth we make. This assumes that empirical evidence is definitive! This is because, for low-level learners, empirical or physical evidence is proof, great proof for everything!

However, to the wise (the highly educated), and all those who humbly seek knowledge and acknowledge their ignorance, empirical evidence, they know, isn’t as strong as less educated people claim it to be! When all is said and done, empirical evidence or empiricism could be the weakest form of all evidence. After all, empirical evidence is done at the basic level of human transcendency, that is, the physical! To solely rely on the physical senses for truth is surely basic!

Some go ahead and base on the few books they have read, two documentary movies they have watched on CNN or BBC and claim that there is nothing beyond what they have discovered. It pains me a lot when I see someone making conclusions on important issues of life based on few notes he has made. It hurts. We need to be slow and humble.

All wise people, including Jesus condemn this kind of negligence! Maybe that is why Socrates managed to win the title of the ‘wisest philosopher of all times’. For even with all his wisdom and better grasp of things, the gentleman confessed his ignorance. I know I know nothing, he confessed. I agree with him for, in my experience, the more I study (whether theology, philosophy, science or everyday experiences in love, business, and human relationships), the more I realize that I am surely ignorant of many things!

And I pray everyday that God keeps me this humble and enable me to be a student or a seeker of knowledge or truth for the rest of my life. For learning truly never ends or should never end!

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