On the Nature of Ignorance

“Ignorance is of a peculiar nature; once dispelled, it is impossible to re-establish it. It is not originally a thing of itself, but is only the absence of knowledge; and though man may be kept ignorant, he cannot be made ignorant.”
-Thomas Paine, Rights of Man

To be ignorant is not bliss, to remain ignorant is not virtue. To be kept ignorant is cruel.