1 -Drew Curtis, creator of fark

Yes it does. My wife’s in psychology and she runs into it all the time.  Although the particular kind I’m thinking of they term as denial.  Denial is extremely helpful in some cases because it blocks pain off completely. Being ignorant of pain is a good thing in my opinion. 

2 -Cory Doctorow, contributor to boing boing and author

Hrm. I don’t believe it does.

3 -Jeff Vandermeer, author, blogger, and, uh, doctor

Ignorance has value as a shield against soul-corrupting dis-information, such as that which we receive daily from the current US government. I prefer to be ignorant of world events and our administration’s response to them during some weeks because it would be difficult not to literally fall into clinical depression otherwise. Ignorance in this context allows people to at least function in their daily lives. It is only a temporary shield, however. If you allow yourself to function in that mode for too long you no longer become a valuable or functioning member of society. Temporary, situational ignorance can be a blessing. But when I want to get any fiction done, I have to shut out this part of the world, or I simply will be unable to do anything except snarl and think homicidal thoughts. In all other contexts I can think of, ignorance is soul-rot.

4 -Bruce Sterling, author, and blogger, among other things

*It’s great to be born young

5 -Alex Burns, editor of disinfo.com and blogger”

‘Cultivated’ ignorance may help you look at a person, circumstance
or situation in a new light, akin to Buddhism’s ‘beginner’s mind’.
Real ignorance, on the other hand, may mean you perceive the surface
issues but miss the deeper meaning, or don’t see the multiple impacts
of something (‘second-order effects’ in systems theory).  What we don’t
know we don’t know may have a hazard/wild-card effect.

6 -Noam Chomsky, linguist, and purveyor of cultural criticism

I receive 100s of letters a day, try to respond, but only when I think there is something I can say about the question.  Not in this case.

7 -Alex Boese, curator of the museum of hoaxes

I would say that the acknowledgment of ignorance is the first step on the path to enlightenment. That’s when ignorance acquires a value. Ignorance unacknowledged is simply arrogance, which has no value.

8 -Dave Barry, humor columnist and blogger

It’s VERY valuable, if you’re producing reality TV.

9 -Andrew Barthelmes, artist

Ignorance- Most people associate ignorance with stupidity. Though one can be ignorant and stupid one can also be ignorant and intelligent.  Is there a benefit to not knowing the rules, the past, the context, the timeline, the politics, I think so. To create from such a place one can make something that is new, if only to ones self. You can’t imitate without knowing what’s been done before. So what an accomplishment in a world so filled with information to know so little. Can an artist create without influence, probably not, we are influenced by walking down the street, but can we create when our mind is an overfilled junk yard? When the mind cant freely move without wondering, is this relevant? Its irrelevant whether its relevant, just make it, no apologies like an unexplained explosion, an act of nature, for the first time ever.

so as you can see, the response pretty much ranged the spectrum, from doctorow’s simple and straight forward, burns’ more spiritual, sterling and chomsky’s condescension, barry’s sarcastic, drew and jeff’s practicality, boese’s philosophical, to andy’s artistic… obviously many different ways to approach the idea of ignorance.

initially, the idea behind our particular tongue in cheek usage of the word nonist sprung out of an artistic context, closest in logic to andrew barthelmes’ answer. the idea that in order to create in a free manner, true to yourself, you must in some sense cast off the burden of art history. so many people shape their work in a rigidly historical context, not attempting certain expressions because of a perceived obsolescence or a similarity to works already done. this type of constant course correction would certainly be beneficial for clearly plotting a career path, but is it beneficial to the artist as creator? we don’t know, but the idea of claiming affiliation to no ism, of willfully ignoring all we were taught, of simply doing what we like, artworld and art history be damned, seemed very inviting, and in a world which seems to value concept above craft, a reliance on nothing but instinct seemed almost vital. thus, nonist, and the word ignorance used as a partial descriptor. that this same idea could apply to other creative endeavors logically followed. that it could apply in a philosophical sense to all intellectual pursuits is simply a fond notion. the idea of a nonist, in general terms, could be seen as the opposite of exactly that which often comes across as so repugnant or comical in the battle between proclaimed truths, namely the astonishing lack of flexibility and/or humility there in. as stated in the faq, to remain open and curious in order to substitute those truths which are merely taught, with those which are learned by experience might be an explanation. or some such sentence. perhaps we ought to add a posthumous addition to our little Q&A…

10 -Thomas Jefferson of presidential fame.

Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, than he who believes what is wrong.

in any case we had planned on taking the answers to our little question and writing a serious piece exploring the results and the semantics involved. truth be told, however, we got bored with the whole notion. after all it is furthest from our intention to write anything remotely resembling a manifesto, so clearly too many rambling words have been put down already. also in that using nonist as a monicker is so obviously an oxymoron, let’s not strip the minute amount of levity left in it with more blathering. our own curiosity with the usage of the word ignorance and it’s baggage has long since faded, so this recounting of the answers is all there will be, and the last we will likely say on the subject. which i’m sure is thrilling to each and every one of you. xo