Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbong. I remember when I was just starting here at

NPR as an intern and then attempt being broke as hell. It was my first time really living on my own

and rent was way more expensive than I thought it would be. And I specifically remember

never wanting to check my bank account,

because to not know how small that number was somehow made me feel more free, more comfortable

than to know the cold, hard truth. You can see this incentive structure play out in fascinating

ways, particularly in politics, in Mark Lila's book,

Ignorance and Bliss on Wanting Not to Know.

Lila is a historian at Columbia University, and the book is kind of an interrogation of

human nature and the search for truth.

And in this conversation with NPR's Asma Khalid, they talk about how there is willful ignorance on both sides of the political aisle.

That's ahead.

In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.

Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors on our new show, sources and methods.

NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories

of real people helping you understand why distant events matter here at home. Listen to sources and

methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. I've got a question for you all. Is

ignorance actually bliss? Well, we're going to try to figure that out in the next few minutes. A new book by Columbia University professor Mark Lilla breaks down the constant and very human struggle between wanting to know things while also rejecting truths that might challenge us. The book is called ignorance and bliss on wanting not to know.

Mark, welcome to the show.

Good morning.

So I've got to ask at the outset here, because I'm in the news business,

and there feels like there is such a desire these days for people to just tune out the news.

...