“The history of Western science confirms the aphorism that the great menace to progress is not ignorance but the illusion of knowledge.”

—  Daniel J. Boorstin

This "aphorism" was expressed in different forms by Josh Billings and Socrates. note: Often misquoted as, "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge," and often misattributed to Stephen Hawking.
Source: Cleopatra's Nose: Essays on the Unexpected (1995).

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Daniel J. Boorstin 39
American historian 1914–2004

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