Agnotology and knowledge management in parliamentary library and research services

Abstract

The exclusion of ignorance from Knowledge Management is a weakness. The paper considers the significance of agnotology – the deliberate creation of ignorance – and other aspects of ignorance for the work of parliamentary libraries and research services. Ignorance is frequently a rational choice and the supposed rejection of expertise and the impact of ‘post-truth’ politics are both exaggerated and open to more positive interpretation. Parliamentary services must nevertheless engage with these issues, and the real disconnects between scientific knowledge and political decision. Engagement raises questions for the way these services work, what they offer and their ethical framework.