In some cases, I agree with the the cynical philosophy. Especially in regard to technology. If you don't understand the fundementals of a technology, then you cannot use it responsibly. (You don't need to be a kernel hacker to be afforded this benefit. Understanding loops, and the barebones fundementals of how a computer works is sufficient.)
Take for instance, nuclear weapons. A person who understands even the basics of these devices know why they are bad news with a capitol B. To a person who doesn't, they are a magical thing that everyone else is scared of, that makes you instantly command respect. If you don't understand why people are scared of them (and by association, why you shouldn't make them, and certainly never deploy one) then you have absolutely no business being anywhere near one.
While extreme, it points out the line distinctly through that extremity. The issues with technology of lsser degrees of mortal peril still apply. It's why our moron politicians keep trying to legislate the internet, keep passing laws that technologists shit blood over, etc. Its because the people running the show have the "its magic!" View. They lack even the most simplistic knowledge of what they are making laws for.
The trend continues all the way down to ordinary people too, with people throwing away perfectly servicable hardware, adding to the toxic waste in landfills, simply because "it's broken", where "broken" is an easily corrected software issue.
Rather than being strict in the traditional cynical school's philosophy, and stating that you must be completely self-sufficient and self-supplying, (something that logistically cannot be done in modern times), I view that you should posess at least the most basic understanding of how everything you make use of and depend on works. This is not so that you can effect repairs (though that is a handy side effect if your knowledge is deep enough), but rather to guide your use of those things toward being proper and responsible.
Far too many people are willfully ignorant of far too many things today. It is the cause of a huge glut of world problems.