What does this quote mean? "The farther one goes, the less one knows"?

Question

"The farther one goes, the less one knows"

Answer 1

What that means is the older that we get the more that we realize how much there is that we don't know.

Answer 2

I would put it like this: As you learn more and more, and gain more and more experience, you realize that no matter how much you touch with your intellect there is (exponentially?) more knowledge and information that you will never attain or even have a chance to consider. In fact, what may be, or has been known is beyond imagination. Simply walk into a big city library. You will see a truly small sample of all recorded human knowledge. No one could retain it all.

Imagine starting in a deep narrow hole (as a child) as you grow and learn you climb up through the hole and as you do so the hole grows larger and expands around you. As you mature and learn and experience more you no longer seem to be in a hole but a broadening valley. A valley, however, that you don't know completely, by any means. Still farther along, after learning a good bit about your valley (but still not all) you crest one of the surrounding hills and before you, you see that for 100's of miles the (intellectual) landscape stretches out in all directions. Your intellectual presence becomes minuscule, when once, you (thought you) knew your tiny little hole in the ground quite well.

Our intellectual perspective continually broadens. That is, if we have half a brain.

Answer 3

The farther you tread along the path, the less sure you are that your initial assumptions are true.

It means as we jouney further and further, deeper and deeper into the world, we learn much, but, as we gain wisdom and knowledge, we also begin to question everything, thus we are unsure as to what is really true or false.

It doesn't mean we are losing knowledge, but merely questioning more- which can be both a negative and a positive thing.

Answer 4

it means that the more 'intelligence' you gather, the more 'questions' you have.

this can be a positive constructive trait used to further mankind with cancer research, building sturdier buildings and safer cars.

the negative thing about this statement is people who see themselves as philosophers dwell on this idea and 'learn' more and more about what they are 'learning'. their entire cognition is question answered by another question. is this constructive? does thi better mankind? are being being cured of diseases and living in better conditions? absolutely not.

there comes a point when it is time to get off your butt and do something constructive and productive with your life!!! it is great to sit around all day thinking up questions upon questions but it does nothing! intelligence without production is useless!!! this is what philosophers do!

for example: einstein discovers the theory of relativity! yes? yes. would it have done the world any good if he wrote his equation down and then stuffed it under his mattress? yes, he was intelligent but it was because he contributed to society.

philosophers dont do this. yes, the historical ones Confucius etc etc did...but they are historically famous and their sayings have meaning. what has john doe from arkansas state with a philosophy degree done for this world!?! nothing, absolutely nothing. he is just another over educated, under experienced unable to work person because he feels above this job and that job...so he would rather be on welfare and a burden to society type person!

think i am making this up?

believe me, i know a lot of 'philosophers' from undergrad and their contribution to society has been less than spectacular! my buddies who are in construction have benefited the world much much more than those dimwits have...

Answer 5

The more you learn the less you know. The more questions I find answers to the more questions I have. To travel back to ones starting place and know it for the first time. Knowing is more about knowing you do not know by wish but knowing you are less infinite than what is, in fact I am finite, yet unfinished or incomplete and therefor infinite, in Spirit.

The Will is positive, the Judgment is negative.

Answer 6

Its similiar too an expert knows less and less about nothing. Life is a journey. I personally believe the older we get the more stupid we become. Old age does not bring wisdom.

Answer 7

There are many meanings associated to this one but i will give you a simple one that makes sense to me... this means that first we have to know ourselves, because if we go out and analyze other people, their emotions, and why they are behaving in such a way, it will be difficult for us because they wont tell us everything about themselves essentially because they themselves do not know themselves, we also loose the understanding of who we are because we don't have time left to look at ourselves. But because we know how our mind works, our likes and dislikes, our emotions, we can decide to search for answers to our own questions, then we are more likely to succeed in our search for truth and knowing ourselves. When we become self-realized and/ or enlightened, we become content , serene and happy. We become very confident of what life is, and the role that we play in it. Then, we come to know more, we come to know everything!!!

Janaki

Answer 8

It's a metaphor indicating that as one goes further on in life, the less sure one is to have earlier false assurance that one is certain about many things.

Answer 9

Word are idle and leads to destruction.

Answer 10

complete lie!