Poll: "Ignorance is bliss"

SilentCom

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Mar 14, 2011
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You hear the phrase "ignorance is bliss" every now and then but is it really? Can you really feel worse off knowing more or do people say this because of some perceived loss of innocence?
 

Laser Priest

A Magpie Among Crows
Mar 24, 2011
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As with most things. it's not universally true.

But if you are ignorant towards pain and suffering in the world, you're a lot more likely to be a happy person.
 

Thaluikhain

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Jan 16, 2010
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Yes and no. I'd prefer to know the truth about things, but, IMHO, as a rule, when you see fucktard X on the news or whatever, he or she is spouting beliefs that he or she finds comfortable. Lots of people believe things because facing the truth would be inconvenient or frightening.
 

Ironman126

Dark DM Overlord
Apr 7, 2010
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"Knowledge is power, guard it well." (bonus point if you get the reference). So, no, ignorance is not bliss.
 

Lilani

Sometimes known as CaitieLou
May 27, 2009
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Your outlook on life depends entirely on how you handle the situations put before you, not on how much knowledge you have. Just because you get diagnosed with cancer tomorrow doesn't mean you are obligated to stop being happy. It just means you got diagnosed with cancer. What you do and how you feel from there is entirely up to you.
 

[.redacted]

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Jan 24, 2010
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Definitely, but it's also wrong.

Being able to comprehend death, you own insignificance, and the scale of time is something I wish I could avoid touching upon - even if only briefly.

But I wouldn't trade it for ignorance.
 

SilentCom

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Ironman126 said:
"Knowledge is power, guard it well." (bonus point if you get the reference). So, no, ignorance is not bliss.
That's a quote from Warhammer 40k and even if you are knowledgable and subsequently powerful, that does not necessarily mean you are happy. Of course it doesn't necessarily mean you are unhappy either.
 

Ace of Spades

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Jul 12, 2008
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It's a case of balance, like most things. Knowing everything would be terrible. Knowing nothing would be even worse. It isn't a matter of whether ignorance is bliss, but how much ignorance is bliss.
 

Mimssy

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Dec 1, 2009
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Not at all. Knowing more enables you to change the bad things you see and learn about.
 

zehydra

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Oct 25, 2009
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Absolutely not.

The phrase "ignorance is bliss" comes from the notion that you're happy until you find out the truth about things. It is false to say that this is true for every situation everywhere.

But even still, the phrase has a bigger flaw:

knowing the truth = unhappiness
therefore, not knowing the truth is happiness?

if Q then not P
therefore if not Q then P

this is a logical fallacy
 

SYSTEM-J

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Aug 7, 2008
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It cuts both ways. When you discover a brilliant solution to a long-standing problem you're unlikely to think "Ignorance was bliss". Equally, there are some things that will plague you after you're exposed to them.
 

Danny Ocean

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Jun 28, 2008
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Ignorance is bliss in some cases. t's why everyone thinks young childhood is such a happy time for most- because little kids don't have a clue about anything.

zehydra said:
But even still, the phrase has a bigger flaw:

knowing the truth = unhappiness
therefore, not knowing the truth is happiness?

if Q then not P
therefore if not Q then P

this is a logical fallacy
If:

-knowledge is the only affecter of happiness, and
- knowledge invariably leads to unhappiness, then
- how is it fallacious to say that not knowing will lead to happiness?
 

zehydra

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Oct 25, 2009
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Danny Ocean said:
Ignorance is bliss in some cases. t's why everyone thinks young childhood is such a happy time for most- because little kids don't have a clue about anything.

zehydra said:
But even still, the phrase has a bigger flaw:

knowing the truth = unhappiness
therefore, not knowing the truth is happiness?

if Q then not P
therefore if not Q then P

this is a logical fallacy
If:

-knowledge is the only affecter of happiness, and
- knowledge invariably leads to unhappiness, then
- how is it fallacious to say that not knowing will lead to happiness?
if you are unhappy, and you learn something that makes you unhappy, then you're still unhappy. There is no guarantee that you are happy prior to learning anything.
 

zehydra

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Oct 25, 2009
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Danny Ocean said:
Ignorance is bliss in some cases. t's why everyone thinks young childhood is such a happy time for most- because little kids don't have a clue about anything.

zehydra said:
But even still, the phrase has a bigger flaw:

knowing the truth = unhappiness
therefore, not knowing the truth is happiness?

if Q then not P
therefore if not Q then P

this is a logical fallacy
If:

-knowledge is the only affecter of happiness, and
- knowledge invariably leads to unhappiness, then
- how is it fallacious to say that not knowing will lead to happiness?
also:
- knowledge invariably leads to unhappiness

this is false, as knowledge can very well lead to happiness.