Rumsfeld: Metaphysician par excellence

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld recently won the Foot in Mouth Award from the Plain English Campaign for this quote:

Reports that say that something hasn't happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns — the ones we don't know we don't know.

He was promptly mocked by the left, which seized on this as yet more proof of his idiocy. See here for a typical and moderately clever example.

Luckily, the great media corrective that is The Economist has come back with this short article defending the Secretary (registration may be req'd). Its main point is that the quote reflects a rather sophisticated level of epistemological inquiry:

By contrast [to prior winners], Mr Rumsfeld is a model of clarity and wisdom. The nature of ignorance is a serious philosophical problem; for decision-makers, it is a knotty practical one. For a senior politician to grapple with serious epistemological questions, and to do so publicly, is as commendable as it is rare.

Right on.
- posted by Anonymous @ 8:12 AM