Deliberate ignorance has been known as the 'Ostrich Instruction' in law courts since the 1860s. It illustrates a recurring pattern in history in which figureheads for major companies, political leaders and industry bigwigs plead ignorance to avoid culpability. So why do so many figures at the top still get away with it when disasters on their watch damage so many people's lives?

When the phone hacking scandal rocked the United Kingdom in 2011, Rupert Murdoch, CEO of News International, knew nothing of the criminal goings-on. After a fire swept through the Grenfell Tower, it soon came to light that the tragedy was a result of the wilful ignorance of experts. Does the idea that knowledge is power still apply in today's post-truth world?

Encompassing the building of industrial empires in 19th century America to the legal defences of today, The Unknowers shows that ignorance has not only long been an inherent part big business, but also that true power lies in the ability to convince others of where the boundary between ignorance and knowledge lies.