Ignorance is bliss..?

Question

What do you think about this statement and how do you apply it to your life (or not apply it)? Please feel free to give examples...I like a nice, well thought-out answer...elaborating is encouraged!

Answer 1

~~ Remember that Ignorance is conjoined with Awareness,,, which is directly related to Knowledge. The definition of ignorance is lack of knowledge. With Knowledge one acquires more Awareness of self, others and environment. For example,,, Tarzan of the Jungle was from a developed white civilzation yet was not mature enough to have developed his education,etc. and grew up in a "foreign environment" having no knowledge/awareness of his origin. Then he crosses the path of Great White Hunters from which he Learns about the World outside of The Jungle, which was his ONLY frame of reference. He travels to New York and finds a completely different 'world' than what he knows, yet he is aware that this is where 'his people' came from. It's not all the materialism that entrances him, it is the Advancement of Human Technology that blows him away. Sure, it was blissful to be King of The Jungle, but not after having a newfound Awareness of his own Human Potential. ~ Another example; Most have seen the video of the Tsunami and the person walking on the beach who has no idea(ignorance) that they are to be swept away as they stroll the beach blissfully. Wouldn't you rather know the wave is coming and have a chance to fight to survive?

Answer 2

Sometimes not being aware of a danger can make an activity very appealing and highly satisfying when it is carried out successfully.

e.g. A prank: Throwing rotten eggs at people on the last day of school. It can be amusing to the individual pulling the prank who most probably does not know that there is a danger associated with it. What happens if the egg hits someone in their eye? A person can lose sight in the eye which was hit. However, if the danger was never known before hand and if the prank is successful and no one gets hurt then you can say ignorance is bliss.

A stunt: Watching someone perform a stunt and not realizing it was done in a controlled environment then going out and trying it on their own. It can have serious consequences if it goes badly however, if the person pulled it off successfully they are very pleased with their actions even though they were unaware of the hidden danger.

A challenge: Let's see who has the fastest time roller-blading down a hill. Without thinking everyone starts off together down the hill at a furious pace without analysing how they will be able to stop at the bottom. If by some chance they are successfull then ignorance is bliss.

Answer 3

Before an intelligent answer can be given to this question I think we would all have to understand and agree on what is meant by the terms "ignorance" and "bliss." We could probably come to a fairly rapid and reasonable agreement as to what "ignorance" is. But "bliss?" Now that's another matter. Since we would likely never all agree on what "bliss" actually is, I would like to suggest that there can never, therefore, be an intelligent answer to this question Other than this one, of course. Well, you DID, after all, choose to put this question in the category of Philosophy rather than, say, Education & Reference.

Answer 4

Short term - Quite often - in comparison to the before. The imagination can create beautiful (- and abhorrent -) 'realities'. To attain a balanced peace, it is better to know.

After emotions have subsided, well how d'you want to live your life with people ?

If all humans were all honest with each other there would be far less pain in finding out truths - 'cos we'd have them in the right perspective. As society is, and will be for a long time, often the truth hurts - massively.

Answer 5

Well, the idea that if i ignore that which i know to be negative or difficult is bliss, or pure happiness because if i choose to believe that the problem doesn't exist, whether it does or not, then i am ignoring the truth and putting myself in a bubble that everything is fine and happy. therefore, by ignoring, i am avoiding problems and making myself happy in return. is this healthy? absolutely not! problems need to be addressed when they arise and need to be nipped in the bud. by being open minded and being willing to problem solve and take on problems as they arise, not only will you be able to deal with all kinds of difficult situations as they arise, but life will come at you much easier because you have built the skill set to deal with any issues effectively. I hope this has helped.

Answer 6

The statement is true, only about the negative. The fruit of knowledge is a great example. Before there was knowledge... There were no negatives... or positives, as far as that goes. Providing we consider bliss to mean no strife.

Answer 7

Ignorance is simply not knowing. This can be a happier state since knowledge (especially of difficult things) can be painful & bring a lot of responsiblity. It's the difference between childhood & adulthood. As a child, you're innocent, carefree, not a care in the world (usually). With experience you lose your innocence & gain knowledge. Now you have adult worries & problems. You don't laugh quite as much as you did as a child. You don't feel the same carefree joy...

Answer 8

It's the same as "what you don't know can't hurt you." The same school of thought. I tend to be overly analytical, so if there are times when I overlook something or don't get the joke, it's ok - I don't want to be "ignorant," but I'd rather be good at some things then not so good at everything - ya'know? I have a headache today so I think I'm rambling - so, that's it for me. :)

Answer 9

I think the statement is true as long as you remain ignorant. No elaboration, its pretty clear.

Answer 10

It depends on the type of person you are. I say a person should only know enough to make themselves happy because any more than they can actually emotionally handle would be damaging and purposeless. I can explain in more detail if asked too.