Ignorance

At first, reading through Horace Miner's "Body Ritual Among the Nacirema," it's easy to deride the behavior of the "Nacirema" tribe. For instance, the "magical potions" (6), "so numerous that people forget what their purposes were" (7). A ridiculous concept, indeed--and then the punchline: we are laughing at ourselves.

Actually, the issue of ignorance extends far past the drugs in our medicine cabinets. It's just hard for people to admit. How many people can name just the basics of how their iPhones work? What about their cars? Plumbing? Microwaves? Most of us live in a world full of inventions beyond our understanding, and we take them for granted. And yet, ironically, we snicker at the Nacirema's "holy-mouth-men" (9). 

This is the paradox of technological advancement: it's impossible to learn as quickly as technology progresses. Even expert engineers, those leading their field, rarely know everything there is to know about their subject. It takes a collective effort, by many talented people, to continue to improve. Little wonder, then, that the average consumer knows so little about what he's buying. Is there really any way to bridge the knowledge gap between the average person and specialists? At this rate, it won't be long before technology really will become indistinguishable from magic.