--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ever since the beginning of modern…" description: "\"Ever since the beginning of modern science, the best minds have recognized that \"the range of acknowledged ignorance will grow with the advance of scie..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/friedrich-august-von-hayek-141_activity_ever-since-the-beginning-of-modern-scien_1172271.jpg" --- # Ever since the beginning of modern science, the best minds… ![“Ever since the beginning of modern science, the best minds have recognized that "the range of acknowledged ignorance will grow with the advance of science." Unfortunately, the popular effect of this scientific advance has been a belief, seemingly shared by many scientists, that the range of our…” quote by Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/friedrich-august-von-hayek-141_activity_ever-since-the-beginning-of-modern-scien_1172271.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/friedrich-august-von-hayek-141_activity_ever-since-the-beginning-of-modern-scien_1172271.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/friedrich-august-von-hayek-141_activity_ever-since-the-beginning-of-modern-scien_1172271.jpg) > “Ever since the beginning of modern science, the best minds have recognized that "the range of acknowledged ignorance will grow with the advance of science." Unfortunately, the popular effect of this scientific advance has been a belief, seemingly shared by many scientists, that the range of our ignorance is steadily diminishing and that we can therefore aim at more comprehensive and deliberate control of all human activities. It is for this reason that those intoxicated by the advance of knowledge so often become the enemies of freedom.” [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advances in knowledge reveal more unknowns, yet many think ignorance shrinks, leading to overconfidence and threats to liberty. **In simple terms:** Science uncovers more questions, but people assume we know everything. Key Takeaway Beware overconfidence; protect freedom. Themes knowledge ignorance freedom science confidence Mood cautious critical reflective Type philosophical political When to use this quote - policy making - academic research - public discourse - technology development Key Concepts epistemology political philosophy risk perception Questions to Reflect On - Do we truly understand the limits of our knowledge? - How can we balance scientific optimism with humility? A Different Perspective Assuming ignorance diminishes can justify authoritarian control. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Deliberate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deliberate/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Human activity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-activity/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Modern science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-science/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Scientist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientist/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [There is, however, no universal recipe for scientific advance. 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