Where ignorance is bliss, ’tis folly to be wise

The cradle of Western culture, from scripture to mythology, continuously stresses that knowledge can be dangerous, specifically for humans. Yet, the history of Western culture coincides with the increasing effort to make knowledge the primary objective of human activities, from philosophy itself to science. Specifically, the more technology develops, the more its primary objective is knowledge – even more specifically, the more technology develops, the more its primary objective is knowing our future, i.e. predicting our future. Reflecting upon the meaning of the paradox described should be one of the most essential tasks of today’s philosophy. In what follows, I shall reflect upon it especially by selecting the digital twin as a case in point to understand the relationship between technological development and prediction and by arguing that the philosophical notions of autonomy and wisdom may serve as promising ways to address the paradox described.