Unknown unknown
Encyclopedia
"There are known knowns" are the most well-known words of a statement to the press made by the former United States Secretary of Defense
Donald Rumsfeld
in February 2002.
with the supply of weapons of mass destruction
to terrorist groups. It was criticised as an abuse of language by, among others, the Plain English Campaign
. However, linguist Geoffrey Pullum
disagreed, saying the quotation was "completely straightforward" and "impeccable, syntactically, semantically, logically, and rhetorically."
As for the substance of his statement, Rumsfeld's defenders have included Canadian columnist Mark Steyn
, who called it "in fact a brilliant distillation of quite a complex matter", and Australian economist and blog
ger John Quiggin
, who wrote, "Although the language may be tortured, the basic point is both valid and important ... Having defended Rumsfeld, I’d point out that the considerations he refers to provide the case for being very cautious in going to war."
Italian
economist
s Salvatore Modica and Aldo Rustichini provide an introduction to the economic literature on awareness and unawareness:
Psychoanalytic philosopher Slavoj Žižek
extrapolates from these three categories a fourth, the unknown known, that which we don't know or intentionally refuse to acknowledge that we know:
Žižek also builds the idea of known unknown, and unknown knowns, into a lecture on The Reality of the Virtual
.
The term was in use within the United States military establishment long before Rumsfeld's quote to the press in 2002. An early use of the term comes from a paper entitled "Clausewitz and Modern War Gaming: losing can be better than winning" by Raymond B. Furlong, Lieutenant General, USAF (Ret.) in the Air University Review, July–August 1984:
From the same time, libertarian lawyer Richard Epstein wrote a well known article in the University of Chicago Law Review
about the American labour law
doctrine of employment at will (the idea that workers can be fired without warning or reason, unless their contract states terms that are better). In giving some of his reasons in defense of the contract at will, he wrote this:
In a 2010 Washington Times interview, Admiral James A. Winnefeld, Jr.
, commander of the United States Northern Command, says he is most worried about "the unknown unknowns."
Rumsfeld used the quote in the title of his autobiography Known and Unknown: A Memoir
.
where decision makers think they have obtained all relevant information, but are unaware of the existence of certain relevant information, because its relevance is not apparent until they have that information.
-Tajik thirteenth-century poet Ibn Yamin (Ibn Yamin Faryumadi)(ابن یمین فریومدی), born 1286 in Faryumad near Sabzevar
and died 1368, says there are four types of men:
آنکس که بداند و بداند که بداند
اسب خرد از گنبد گردون بجهاند
آنکس که بداند و نداند که بداند
بیدار کنیدش که بسی خفته نماند
آنکس که نداند و بداند که نداند
لنگان خرک خویش به منزل برساند
آنکس که نداند و نداند که نداند
در جهل مرکب ابدالدهر بماند
United States Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...
Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Henry Rumsfeld is an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He is both the youngest and the oldest person to...
in February 2002.
Usage
The above statement was made by Rumsfeld on February 12, 2002 at a press briefing where he addressed the absence of evidence linking the government of IraqIraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
with the supply of weapons of mass destruction
Weapons of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...
to terrorist groups. It was criticised as an abuse of language by, among others, the Plain English Campaign
Plain English Campaign
The Plain English Campaign is a commercial editing and training firm based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1979 by Chrissie Maher, the company positions itself as a leader in plain-language advocacy, working to persuade organisations in the UK and abroad to communicate with the public in plain...
. However, linguist Geoffrey Pullum
Geoffrey Pullum
Geoffrey Keith "Geoff" Pullum is a British-American linguist specialising in the study of English. , he is Professor of General Linguistics at the University of Edinburgh....
disagreed, saying the quotation was "completely straightforward" and "impeccable, syntactically, semantically, logically, and rhetorically."
As for the substance of his statement, Rumsfeld's defenders have included Canadian columnist Mark Steyn
Mark Steyn
Mark Steyn is a Canadian-born writer, conservative-leaning political commentator, and cultural critic. He has written five books, including America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It, a New York Times bestseller...
, who called it "in fact a brilliant distillation of quite a complex matter", and Australian economist and blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ger John Quiggin
John Quiggin
John Quiggin is an Australian economist and professor at the University of Queensland. Quiggin studied at the Australian National University, obtaining bachelor's degrees in Arts and Economics in 1978 and 1980 respectively, and completing a master's degree in Economics in 1984. Quiggin was awarded...
, who wrote, "Although the language may be tortured, the basic point is both valid and important ... Having defended Rumsfeld, I’d point out that the considerations he refers to provide the case for being very cautious in going to war."
Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
s Salvatore Modica and Aldo Rustichini provide an introduction to the economic literature on awareness and unawareness:
Psychoanalytic philosopher Slavoj Žižek
Slavoj Žižek
Slavoj Žižek is a Slovenian philosopher, critical theorist working in the traditions of Hegelianism, Marxism and Lacanian psychoanalysis. He has made contributions to political theory, film theory, and theoretical psychoanalysis....
extrapolates from these three categories a fourth, the unknown known, that which we don't know or intentionally refuse to acknowledge that we know:
Žižek also builds the idea of known unknown, and unknown knowns, into a lecture on The Reality of the Virtual
The Reality of the Virtual
The Reality of the Virtual is a documentary/lecture film about the Slovenian philosopher and psychoanalyst Slavoj Žižek. It was directed by Ben Wright.-Synopsis:...
.
The term was in use within the United States military establishment long before Rumsfeld's quote to the press in 2002. An early use of the term comes from a paper entitled "Clausewitz and Modern War Gaming: losing can be better than winning" by Raymond B. Furlong, Lieutenant General, USAF (Ret.) in the Air University Review, July–August 1984:
From the same time, libertarian lawyer Richard Epstein wrote a well known article in the University of Chicago Law Review
University of Chicago Law Review
The University of Chicago Law Review is a law journal published by the University of Chicago Law School, and was established in 1933. From 1942 through 1945 the review was published by the faculty, due to World War II. Prominent former student members have included Judge Abner J...
about the American labour law
Labour law
Labour law is the body of laws, administrative rulings, and precedents which address the legal rights of, and restrictions on, working people and their organizations. As such, it mediates many aspects of the relationship between trade unions, employers and employees...
doctrine of employment at will (the idea that workers can be fired without warning or reason, unless their contract states terms that are better). In giving some of his reasons in defense of the contract at will, he wrote this:
In a 2010 Washington Times interview, Admiral James A. Winnefeld, Jr.
James A. Winnefeld, Jr.
James Alexander "Sandy" Winnefeld, Jr. is a United States Navy four-star admiral who currently serves as the ninth Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He previously served as the fourth Commander, U.S. Northern Command and the 21st Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command from...
, commander of the United States Northern Command, says he is most worried about "the unknown unknowns."
Rumsfeld used the quote in the title of his autobiography Known and Unknown: A Memoir
Known and Unknown: A Memoir
Known and Unknown: A Memoir is an autobiographical book by Donald Henry Rumsfeld, an American politician and businessman who served as Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 and again from 2001 to 2006 . He published it through Penguin Group USA in February 2011. It covers a variety of his...
.
Relevance paradox
The concept of Unknown Unknowns is also similar to the Relevance paradoxRelevance Paradox
The relevance paradox describes an attempt to gather information relevant to a decision, which fails because the elimination of information perceived as distracting or unnecessary and thus detrimental to making an optimal decision, also excludes information that is actually crucial.-Definition:In...
where decision makers think they have obtained all relevant information, but are unaware of the existence of certain relevant information, because its relevance is not apparent until they have that information.
Quoted from Persian literature
A PersianPersian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
-Tajik thirteenth-century poet Ibn Yamin (Ibn Yamin Faryumadi)(ابن یمین فریومدی), born 1286 in Faryumad near Sabzevar
Sabzevar
Sabzevar is a city in, and the capital of Sabzevar County, in Razavi Khorasan Province in northeastern Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 208,172, in 57,024 families.It is approximately 220 kilometres west of Mashhad, the provincial capital...
and died 1368, says there are four types of men:
آنکس که بداند و بداند که بداند
اسب خرد از گنبد گردون بجهاند
آنکس که بداند و نداند که بداند
بیدار کنیدش که بسی خفته نماند
آنکس که نداند و بداند که نداند
لنگان خرک خویش به منزل برساند
آنکس که نداند و نداند که نداند
در جهل مرکب ابدالدهر بماند
- One who knows and knows that he knows... His horse of wisdom will reach the skies.
- One who knows, but doesn't know that he knows... He is fast asleep, so you should wake him up!
- One who doesn't know, but knows that he doesn't know... His limping mule will eventually get him home.
- One who doesn't know and doesn't know that he doesn't know... He will be eternally lost in his hopeless oblivion!
In popular culture
Since Rumsfeld's speech, both the full quote and the term "unknown unknowns" have appeared in popular culture.- The title of The Unknown Knowns: A Novel by Jeffrey RotterJeffrey RotterJeffrey Rotter is a writer. He has written for numerous publications, including The New York Times, Spin magazine, ESPN, McSweeney’s, The Literary Review and The New York Observer. In 2006 he completed his MFA in fiction at Hunter College, where he studied under Peter Carey, Colson Whitehead, Colum...
is an allusion to the quote, and the full quote appears in the book's inscription. - The quote is featured in the CD recording, " The Poetry of Donald Rumsfeld and Other Fresh American Art Songs" http://www.stuffedpenguin.com/index.html
- Hart Seely's compilation of quotes by Rumsfeld is entitled "Pieces of Intelligence: The Existential Poetry of Donald H. Rumsfeld;" Free Press, 2003.
- In The BoondocksThe Boondocks (TV series)The Boondocks is an American animated series created by Aaron McGruder on Cartoon Network's late night programing block, Adult Swim, based on McGruder's comic strip of the same name...
animated series, the character Gin Rummy, a representation of Donald RumsfeldDonald RumsfeldDonald Henry Rumsfeld is an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He is both the youngest and the oldest person to...
, makes several references to unknown unknowns. - The band No Use for a NameNo Use for a NameNo Use for a Name is a punk rock band from San Jose, California, United States formed in 1987 by Chris Dodge , Steve Papoutsis , Rory Koff and John Meyers...
used the entire aforementioned quote in their song Fields of Agony (Acoustic) on the record Rock Against Bush, Vol. 2Rock Against Bush, Vol. 2Rock Against Bush, Vol. 2 is the second Rock Against Bush compilation album released on the Fat Wreck Chords record label. It contains a collection of songs by various punk rock artists, some of which were previously unreleased. It also includes a bonus DVD with political facts, commentary...
. - In "Lil' George and Lil' Tony Blair", an episode of Lil' BushLil' BushLil' Bush is a satirical, politically-themed animated television series which premiered on June 13, 2007 on Comedy Central. The series features childlike, caricatures of members of the George W. Bush administration, and other American and international political leaders. Donick Cary created the...
, Lil' Rummy makes a reference to the unknown unknowns. - The Joan JettJoan JettJoan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular...
song "Riddles" features the full unknown unknowns quote. - The title of the HouseHouse (TV series)House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
episode "Known Unknowns" is thought to be an allusion to the quote. - Neil deGrasse TysonNeil deGrasse TysonNeil deGrasse Tyson is an American astrophysicist, a science communicator, the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space, and a Research Associate in the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History...
used the phrase on the January 18, 2011 episode of The Daily ShowThe Daily ShowThe Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
, referencing his then-latest appearance on NOVA scienceNOWNOVA scienceNOWNOVA scienceNOW is a newsmagazine version of the long running and venerable PBS science program Nova. Premiering on January 25, 2005, the series was originally hosted by Robert Krulwich, who described it as an experiment in coverage of "breaking science, science that's right out of the lab, science...
.
See also
- Black swan theoryBlack swan theoryThe black swan theory or theory of black swan events is a metaphor that encapsulates the concept that The event is a surprise and has a major impact...
- Relevance paradoxRelevance ParadoxThe relevance paradox describes an attempt to gather information relevant to a decision, which fails because the elimination of information perceived as distracting or unnecessary and thus detrimental to making an optimal decision, also excludes information that is actually crucial.-Definition:In...
- Dunning-Kruger effectDunning-Kruger effectThe Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which unskilled people make poor decisions and reach erroneous conclusions, but their incompetence denies them the metacognitive ability to recognize their mistakes....
- Ignoramus et ignorabimus
- Ignotum per ignotiusIgnotum per ignotiusIgnotum per ignotius refers to an explanation more unfamiliar than the concept which it seeks to explain....
- I know that I know nothingI know that I know nothing"I know one thing, that I know nothing" is a well-known saying that is derived from Plato's account of the Greek philosopher Socrates...
- Johari windowJohari windowThe Johari window is a technique created by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham in 1955 in the United States, used to help people better understand their mental instability...
- List of political catch phrases
- Outside Context Problem
- Unknown knownUnknown knownUnknown knowns are the things that we know, but are unaware of knowing. The coining of the term is attributed to Slovenian Philosopher Slavoj Žižek and it refers to the unconscious beliefs and prejudices that determine how we perceive reality and intervene in it...