Interesting. Albert Einstein famously said his child-like curiosity is what led him to theorise about space-time continuum [0]. He thought, a child-like inquisitiveness was key to what he did [1]. On asking questions, he said: "Most teachers waste their time by asking questions that are intended to discover what a pupil does not know, whereas the true art of questioning is to discover what the pupil does know or is capable of knowing" [2].
Here's a contrasting article that I remember very vividly [3]. For me, after reading it, I felt that it was perhaps okay to admit not knowing things one ought to know because it opened up an avenue to honestly engage in a thoughtful discussion with people who might know more. I can't really say if it changed how folks around me perceived me, but I didn't really feel awkward anymore answering queries with a "I don't know but...".
I've often thought about Einstein's thought experiments for this very reason.
Why not think about rays of light as if you were traveling next to them in a train? It seems so simple, but no one else had asked that question before.
There's a dark side to childlike questions. I've seen presenters at seminars destroyed by seemingly innocent questions. Also deponents, for that matter.
Here's a contrasting article that I remember very vividly [3]. For me, after reading it, I felt that it was perhaps okay to admit not knowing things one ought to know because it opened up an avenue to honestly engage in a thoughtful discussion with people who might know more. I can't really say if it changed how folks around me perceived me, but I didn't really feel awkward anymore answering queries with a "I don't know but...".
[0] https://www.azquotes.com/quote/616908
[1] https://www.azquotes.com/quote/405452
[2] https://www.azquotes.com/quote/1242866
[3] https://42floors.com/blog/startups/i-dont-know