Twentieth-century philosopher Alfred North Whitehead once said, “Not ignorance, but the ignorance of ignorance is the death of knowledge.”

There is a type of illiteracy that threatens us all. It is not the illiteracy where a person is unable to read. It is, perhaps, the most dangerous and destructive of all the illiteracies.

We’ve heard the terms illiterates, semi-illiterates and functional illiterates, and we have a good understanding and awareness of the problems associated with these types of illiteracy. If you have observed illiterate and functionally illiterate individuals, you are aware of the frustration, upset and disappointment caused by their lack of literacy. These individuals are painfully aware of their problem.

There is, however, another type of illiterate—one who can be very dangerous and destructive because of his or her type of illiteracy—the hidden illiterate.

There is, however, another type of illiterate—one who can be very dangerous and destructive because of his or her type of illiteracy—the hidden illiterate.

Hidden illiterates are ignorant of their own illiteracy. Their illiteracy is hidden from themselves. And, because it has never been identified, it is hidden from others as well. Hidden illiterates are ignorant of their ignorance; they do not know that they do not know. They do not fully comprehend the information and ideas being received, studied, or applied and are not aware they do not understand. Their actions, feelings and beliefs are founded on their unknown wrong suppositions, ideas and understandings. The problems and results of being a hidden illiterate can range from humorous to disastrous.

Who are the Hidden Illiterates?

It is the child who wanted a backpack but not a knapsack because he thought a knapsack was a “sleeping bag.”

It is the office worker who can’t figure out why his computer erased an important document; the marketing person who can't seem to finish the promotional piece; the dentist whose fillings need to be replaced more often than they should; the mechanic who “fixed” your car three times for the same problem; or the student who works hard studying for a history or biology test but never gets a good grade.

We need to face the stark reality that problems often characterized as “production” or “quality” or even “discipline” problems may in fact be education problems.

The problems caused by hidden illiteracy are seen in products not completed, jobs poorly done, or great potential unrealized. We need to face the stark reality that problems often characterized as “production” or “quality” or even “discipline” problems may in fact be education problems. A mark of true education is an ability to produce quality products in quantity. Hidden illiteracy blocks quality production, whatever the field of endeavor.

In fact, what we are talking about here is the phenomenon of the misunderstood word, something which American author and educator L. Ron Hubbard discovered is the cause of much social and personal difficulty.

“What has not been studied previously or known,” wrote Mr. Hubbard in 1980, “is that the flow of ideas in any message or field of learning can be blocked in such a way as to suppress further understanding or comprehension from that point on. Further, the misunderstood word can even act in such a way as to bring about ignorance, apathy and even revolt. And it will definitely depress productivity.”