Unknown unknown: Difference between revisions

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{{def|Unknown unknown|/ʌnˈnəʊn/|n|}}Something that you don’t know that you don’t know, as famously articulated by [[Donald Rumsfeld]]. This of course presents an immediate {{t|paradox}}, because if you ''know'' that you don’t know that you don’t know something — which for you to be talking about unknown unknowns, you must, then this is a [[Known unknown|''known'' unknown unknown]], which I rather think — but to be clear, I don’t ''know'', as such — must be a variety of [[known unknown|''known'' unknown]]. Which makes it an ''unknown'' known unknown unknown. Since I do ''know'' that I am not sure about this I can confidently, and with some relief, rest may case at a known unknown known unknown unknown.
{{def|Unknown unknown|/ʌnˈnəʊn/|n|}}Something that you don’t know that you don’t know, as famously articulated by [[Donald Rumsfeld]]. This, of course, presents an immediate {{t|paradox}}, because if you ''know'' that you don’t know that you don’t know something — which for you to be talking about unknown unknowns, you must, then this is a [[Known unknown|''known'' unknown unknown]], which I rather think — but to be clear, I don’t ''know'', as such — must be a variety of [[known unknown|''known'' unknown]]. Which makes it an ''unknown'' known unknown unknown. Since I do ''know'' that I am not sure about this I can confidently, and with some relief, rest my case at a known unknown known unknown unknown.
{{unknowns}}
{{unknowns}}
{{sa}}
{{sa}}
*[[Risk taxonomy]]
*[[Risk taxonomy]]
*{{risk|Rumsfeld’s taxonomy}}
*{{risk|Rumsfeld’s taxonomy}}

Revision as of 16:02, 13 December 2020

The Jolly Contrarian’s Dictionary
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Unknown unknown /ʌnˈnəʊn/ (n.)
Something that you don’t know that you don’t know, as famously articulated by Donald Rumsfeld. This, of course, presents an immediate paradox, because if you know that you don’t know that you don’t know something — which for you to be talking about unknown unknowns, you must, then this is a known unknown unknown, which I rather think — but to be clear, I don’t know, as such — must be a variety of known unknown. Which makes it an unknown known unknown unknown. Since I do know that I am not sure about this I can confidently, and with some relief, rest my case at a known unknown known unknown unknown. There are six types of known.

The Rumsfeld three:

And the Jolly Contrarian three:

See also