Willful Ignorance in Law and Morality

This article introduces the main conceptual and normative questions about willful ignorance. Section I asks what willful ignorance is, while Section II asks why—and how much—it merits moral or legal condemnation. My approach is to critically examine the criminal law’s view of willful ignorance. Doing so not only reveals the range of positions one might take about the phenomenon, but also sheds light on foundational questions about the nature of culpability and the relation between law and morality