Willful Blindness

Willful blindness had started life as a legal concept in the nineteenth century. A judge in Regina v. Sleep ruled that an accused could not be convicted for possession of government property 1 the jury found that he either knew the goods came from government stores or had "willfully shut his eyes to the fact." Thereafter, English judicial authorities referred to the state of mind that accompanied one who "willfully shut his eyes" as "connivance" or "constructive knowledge." Over time, lots of other phrases came into play-"deliberate or willful ignorance,""conscious avoidance," and "deliberate indifference." What they all have in 2 is the idea that there is an opportunity for knowledge and a responsibility to be informed, but it is shirked. Nowadays, the law is 3 often applied in cases of money laundering and drug trafficking: if you've been paid a large amount of money to carry a suitcase, then you are being willfully blind if you don't check what is inside.