Information Architecture

I found Wurman's article very intelligent and thought-provoking. He made a lot of very interesting points about the manner in which people handle learning and understanding information. It really makes you look at how our society views a person's actual intelligence, as opposed to what is merely implied. Wurman states, "As there are few rewards and many punishments for admitting ignorance on a personal or professional level in our culture, we go to great lengths to mask a lack of understanding." For me, this really makes me think about all the times when a teacher was discussing something difficult and confusing, yet I didn't ask a question because I felt it was looked down upon. However, Wurman makes a great point with his statement, "Being able to admit that you don't know is liberating." This is so true, because once you stop masking the fact that you are confused and have the nerve to seek assitance, a concept will become clear and you will truly benefit.

Wurman talks about his own personal experiences in how he handles his ignorance of a subject and his desire to learn new things. It is impressive that he not only wishes to share his knowledge of a concept, but has a yearning to learn new things and expand on them. When teaching at a university, he was faced with the decision to teach a subject in which he had expertise, or go outside of his comfort zone. He decided to pursue something he does not know much about and says, "I was more motivated by what I didn't know and was comfortable admitting my ignorance." This is a very profound statement because it seems as though there is a serious lack of this mentality in today's world. I think that if we all adopt similar attitudes about learning, then we will all benefit greatly as a result.