Do Americans have a Constitutional right to ignorance?

[intrepidity]

Has SCOTUS ever had to opine on this?

[CrispyQ]

1. You must be an Asimov reader.

“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”

― Isaac Asimov

I was working in a large customer service department at the time I heard of Asimov's passing & surprised everyone, including myself, when I started crying. It felt like I'd lost a close friend. The Foundation Series was my first science fiction.

Sagan has some prescient quotes on where we're at today, too.

[intrepidity]

2. Actually, no

More of a Philip K. Dick fan, when it comes to futuristic stuff (being mainly a consumer of non-fiction).

The past couple decades have catapaulted us into a hyper-information age, and it seems that now more than ever, we must address the issue of willfull ignorance.

[CrispyQ]

3. Regarding non-fiction...

Asimov was so prolific and diverse in his writing that his books span all major categories of the Dewey Decimal Classification except for category 100, philosophy and psychology.

I would argue his three laws of robotics & the zeroth law, cover philosophy & psychology.

[mitch96]

8. +1, I was thinking about that exact quote when I read your post. nt

[DFW]

4. My view is that they have the right, but also a duty not to exercise that right.

Obviously a GREAT many Americans disagree vehemently.

[intrepidity]

5. That's a balanced view

which naturally renders it non-viable. Sigh.

[PJMcK]

6. I don't think it's specifically in the Constitution

But the Declaration of Independence does state "..the pursuit of Happiness." Perhaps ignorance makes some people happy or at least comfortable.

These days, SCOTUS is pretty ignorant.

[A HERETIC I AM]

7. "These days, SCOTUS is pretty ignorant."

No, they aren’t. I could not disagree more.

They are ruling precisely as this court was designed to rule. Recent activity by the SCOTUS should come as no surprise whatsoever to anyone who has been paying attention for the last couple decades.

This is ENTIRELY the result of the engineering efforts undertaken by Mitch McConnell, let there be no doubt.

This is the court the right wing has been masturbating over for years and years, and now they finally have it.

Want to make sure the Checks and Balances part of our Constitution actually works?

Elect a progressive majority US Senate and make sure we keep the House.

It’s simple.

It’s just not easy.

[intrepidity]

10. I think SCOTUS recently proved that "pursuit of happiness"

isn't what most of us thought it was.

[gibraltar72]

9. Yes and they will fight to keep it.

[intrepidity]

11. Is it, though?

Like, specifically?

[kairos12]

12. No.

I would say willful ignorance is more accurate.