Our knowledge is a little island in a great ocean of nonknowledge.

The image of an “island” of knowledge surrounded by an “ocean” of nonknowledge frames human understanding as both real and sharply limited. Singer’s phrasing emphasizes humility: what we know is bounded, contingent, and dwarfed by what remains unknown. The metaphor also suggests that learning expands the shoreline—each gain in knowledge can reveal further questions, making the surrounding ignorance more visible. In a broader existential sense, the line aligns with Singer’s frequent interest in mystery, faith, and the limits of rational explanation: even sophisticated intellect cannot fully master the world’s moral, metaphysical, or psychological depths.