Mark Lilla
Professor of Humanities
Columbia University
at time of fellowship
2016 to 2017
Lilla will work on a book, Ignorance and Bliss: On the Rationality of Not Knowing, which explores why people often choose not to know. The book will examine the relationship between ignorance and happiness and bridge the humanities (philosophy, religion, and literature) and the social sciences (cognitive psychology, behavioral economics, cultural anthropology) in order to investigate the consequences for individuals and societies of choosing ignorance over knowledge.