---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [F]or a social theorist ignorance is more…"
description: "\"“[F]or a social theorist ignorance is more excusable than vagueness. Other investigators can easily show I am wrong if I am sufficiently precise. They ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/080/arthur-stinchcombe-151940_clarity_f-or-a-social-theorist-ignorance-is-more_869466.jpg"
---

#  \[F\]or a social theorist ignorance is more excusable than…

![“[F]or a social theorist ignorance is more excusable than vagueness. Other investigators can easily show I am wrong if I am sufficiently precise. They will have much more difficulty showing by investigation what, precisely, I mean if I am vague. I hope not to be forced to weasel out with 'But I…” quote by Arthur Stinchcombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/080/arthur-stinchcombe-151940_clarity_f-or-a-social-theorist-ignorance-is-more_869466.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/080/arthur-stinchcombe-151940_clarity_f-or-a-social-theorist-ignorance-is-more_869466.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/080/arthur-stinchcombe-151940_clarity_f-or-a-social-theorist-ignorance-is-more_869466.jpg)

> ““\[F\]or a social theorist ignorance is more excusable than vagueness. Other investigators can easily show I am wrong if I am sufficiently precise. They will have much more difficulty showing by investigation what, precisely, I mean if I am vague. I hope not to be forced to weasel out with 'But I didn’t really mean that.' Social theorists should prefer to be wrong rather than misunderstood. Being misunderstood shows sloppy theoretical work.””

[Arthur Stinchcombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stinchcombe/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Social theorists should accept being wrong over being misunderstood; vagueness invites misinterpretation.

**In simple terms:** Being vague leads to misunderstanding; better to be wrong.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize clarity over vague precision.

Themes

clarity social theory academic honesty misinterpretation

Mood

introspective scholarly

Type

Clarity:1 Ignorance:0 Social science:0 Theory:0 Vagueness:1 Theorist Ignorance:0 Vagueness Investigators:0 Social Theorists:0 Social Theorist:0

When to use this quote

- research writing
- peer review
- theoretical debates

Key Concepts

philosophy of science methodology critical thinking

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance precision with clarity?
- When is it acceptable to be vague?

A Different Perspective

Complex ideas may resist simplification.

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[Clarity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clarity/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Social science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-science/) [Social Theorist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-theorist-937212/) [Social Theorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-theorists-937211/) [Theorist Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theorist-ignorance-937209/) [Theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theory/) [Vagueness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vagueness/) [Vagueness Investigators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vagueness-investigators-937210/)

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