Expanding the Framework of Knowledge: Psychoanalysis Adds "Unknown Knowns" to Rumsfeld's Model

A recent tweet by author Rob Henderson has brought renewed attention to Donald Rumsfeld's famous 2002 classification of knowledge, adding a psychoanalytic dimension to the well-known framework. Henderson highlighted Rumsfeld's "known knowns, known unknowns, and unknown unknowns," and then introduced a fourth category: "unknown knowns." This concept, rooted in psychoanalysis, posits that individuals may unconsciously possess knowledge they actively defend against acknowledging.

Donald Rumsfeld, then U.S. Secretary of Defense, articulated his three categories during a February 12, 2002, press briefing regarding the lack of evidence linking Iraq to weapons of mass destruction. His statement, "as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns—the ones we don't know we don't know," became widely discussed, often in the context of risk assessment and strategic planning.

The "unknown knowns" concept was notably introduced by Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek, who linked it to the Freudian unconscious. Žižek defined it as "the knowledge which doesn't know itself," referring to disavowed beliefs, suppositions, or practices that operate unconsciously but influence behavior and public values. For instance, Žižek used the Abu Ghraib scandal to illustrate "unknown knowns," suggesting that the tortures were not an unforeseen event but rather an underlying, unacknowledged aspect of U.S. policy.

Rob Henderson's tweet succinctly captures this psychoanalytic addition:

"famous classification system used by Rumsfeld in 2002...‘known knowns, known unknowns, and unknown unknowns’. Psychoanalysis adds another one: ‘unknown knowns’...We actually ‘know’ something unconsciously, but defend ourselves against that knowledge"

This expanded framework suggests that beyond what is consciously known, unknown, or even unimagined, lies a realm of repressed or disavowed knowledge that significantly impacts individual and collective actions. The integration of this psychoanalytic perspective into Rumsfeld's epistemic model offers a deeper understanding of decision-making processes, highlighting the powerful influence of unconscious factors and defended truths.