alexander pope said a little learning is a dangerous thing.
alexander pope said a little learning is a dangerous thing.
who said a little learning is a dangerous thing?
alexander pope
bullet::::- the poet alexander pope (1688–1744), who wrote in "an essay on criticism", 1709: "a little learning is a dangerous thing"









































bullet::::- henry fielding (1707–1754), who, in the novel "the history of tom jones, a foundling", wrote: "for men of true learning, and almost universal knowledge, always compassionate [pity] the ignorance of others; but fellows who excel in some little, low, contemptible art, are always certain to despise those who are unacquainted with that art."









































bullet::::- the naturalist charles darwin (1809–1882), who said, "ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge"
dunning–kruger effect
this is one lesson the superficial meaning of which has been learned reasonably well by philosophy, but, being unaware of the connection between traditional religious beliefs and some of our fundamental assumptions about the world and our mental functions, modern western culture and its philosophy have not completely shed such assumptions; this implicit self-contradiction creates unnecessary difficulties for us. for it seems almost as if it were a feature of human knowledge, fallible and finite as it is, that the discovery of every truth comes to us wrapped in several woolly layers of possible ways to misunderstand it. as pope said, ‘a little learning is a dangerous thing,’ which is demonstrated by our having learned of our inherent existence while having remained insufficiently aware of the implications it holds for our understanding of our situation in the world and for the conduct of our lives — and therefore also for our adoption of the means to ensure the adequacy of such understanding.
leslie dewart