How To Overcome Wilful Blindness | Margaret Heffernan
Apr 28, 2020
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Margaret Heffernan, author of Wilful Blindness, discusses the dangers of willful ignorance and the importance of confronting uncomfortable information. The podcast explores the impact of willful blindness on decision-making, problem-solving, and personal growth, while emphasizing the need to break free from the trap of obedience and conformity.
Recognizing the responsibility to address ethical problems and taking action to create positive change.
Breaking free from bounded thinking and developing a mindset that allows for better awareness and actions in addressing societal problems.
Deep dives
Willful Ignorance and Avoiding Ethical Problems
Margaret Tefanen discusses the issue of willful ignorance and the tendency to avoid ethical problems. She shares a story of a friend, Sam, who was aware of a colleague engaging in sexual harassment but chose to leave his job instead of addressing the issue. Margaret highlights the common mindset of thinking it's not one's responsibility to fix such problems, the aversion to conflict, and the desire to fit in. She emphasizes the need for individuals to recognize their power and resources and take action to create positive change.
Sam's Transformation
Margaret encourages Sam to consider if he has tried everything before leaving his job due to the sexual harassment situation. After making a list of actions he could take, Sam realizes that some options are actually feasible and decides to act on them. The outcome of his actions leads to the sexual harasser being fired and Sam receiving a promotion. The story highlights the importance of individuals recognizing their own abilities and using them to address ethical issues.
Breaking Out of Bounded Thinking
Margaret reflects on the overall problem of bounded thinking that restricts individuals from effectively addressing ethical issues. She highlights the tendency to focus on conformity, pleasing others, and seeking personal gains, rather than exercising agency and exploring alternative perspectives. Margaret raises the question of how individuals can break free from such constraints and develop a mindset that allows for better awareness and actions in addressing societal problems.
How can we protect ourselves from the dangers we wilfully don't see? Businesswoman and author of Wilful Blindness Margaret Heffernan puts forward her theory and outlines how and why institutions and individuals need to open their eyes to information they do not want to know.
An entrepreneur, CEO and author, Heffernan's book Wilful Blindness was chosen as one of Financial Times' business books of the decade.