I think this reluctance to own ignorance is part of the problem going on in D.C. In a rush to look intelligent about every topic under the sun, our politicians have a hard time knowing anything. If any of them were willing to say, “I don’t know about that major topic, but I will learn about it before I spout off on either side,” things might be better. But both sides jump into the fray acting like they know everything there is to know about their pet issue. Then they try to pass a bill that is hundreds or thousands of pages long. I don’t know how anyone is supposed to read and know about a bill that size.
This lack of willingness to own what we don’t know is a problem outside of the disaster in D.C. I have met many people (and I am related to some) who simply cannot acknowledge that they don’t know about a topic, even when it is clear that they don’t have a clue. I think we would all be better off, in and out of politics, if we own our ignorance.