"It is not ignorance but knowledge which is the mother of wonder"

Wonder is often imagined as a product of ignorance, the awe of someone encountering the unknown. Joseph Wood Krutch, however, reframes this notion by asserting that knowledge, rather than ignorance, gives birth to true wonder. Familiarity does not diminish marvel; instead, as understanding grows deeper, so too does the capacity for genuine awe.

Surface-level acquaintance with a phenomenon may provoke curiosity, but it is the layers beneath, the intricate details, the elegant systems, the unexpected complexities, that prompt a more profound sense of wonder. When someone first sees a rainbow, its beauty might inspire delight. As one comes to understand the interplay of sunlight, raindrops, refraction, and dispersion, that delight transforms into respect for the subtle laws governing nature. This new level of appreciation arises not from having questions, but from comprehending the answers and realizing the further mysteries those answers disclose.

Ignorance might create momentary surprise, but knowledge builds lasting marvel. Scientific discovery is an endless journey in which each answer raises new, more nuanced questions. Far from dulling the world’s brilliance, learning reveals its richness. The vastness of the cosmos does not grow less wondrous as astronomy unveils its stars and galaxies; every fact acquired expands the boundaries of imagination.

This view encourages an active pursuit of understanding, not as a means to dispel magic but to find deeper magic hidden in the fabric of reality. Children’s sense of wonder is not diminished as they learn how things work; often, it matures into a lifelong curiosity. In this light, the role of knowledge is to illuminate the extraordinary within the ordinary, to draw attention to the marvels woven into existence itself. The more one learns, the more one sees to wonder at, suggesting that knowledge and wonder are not adversaries but companions on the journey of discovery.