Craziness??

Question

Why is it that all of us search knowledge, thinking it will give us satisfaction, but whenever someone gets an enormous amount of knowledge; they go insane?

People like Nietzsche.

Answer 1

Nietzsche was more the exception, and his insanity was not the result of his intelligence. However, it has been shown that some forms of mental illness may actually enhance certain thought processes. Schizophrenics tend to be creative; some autistics are savants.

Still, some highly intelligent people were the epitome of sanity. Carl Sagan and Albert Einstein to name a couple, were models for rational thought.

And I don't know about you, but thinking and gaining knowledge has always given me great satisfaction. Am I insane? Read some of my other answers and decide for yourself, human. :-)

Answer 2

I think there is a fine line between to much knowledge and not enough,when this line is crossed, an enormous amount of knowledge is overwhelming to the person who has obtained it,thus creating"be careful what you wish for" and there in fold lies the problem and one could possibly go insane from knowing to much,and or to little.

Answer 3

Not all do... but an interesting side point to what you say is why do we listen to some of these people?

Ever see the movie 'Beautiful Mind'? A whole branch of thinking 'game-theory' was really started by that guy. Economics, politics, business, even military decisions have used his concepts.

And yet, I've read two academic papers that question, given this guy's natural paranoid state caused by his schizophrenia, was his theories leaving out the importance of co-operation?
When military decisions on dropping the 'bomb' were influenced by these ideas, ya gotta wonder...

Peace

Answer 4

You left out part of the process.

Thinking is a dangerous sport. Those who do spend their personal and professional lives thinking (like N) are socially isolated. The longer one thinks, the more their sanity comes into question.

Solitary confinement is considered torture for this reasons.

Astronauts have the same issue when they have no one to talk for extended periods of time.

Most philosophers start out with depression before insanity. Depression is brought about through thinking. The philosopher will then attempt to think their way out of what is the result of their thinking.

Make one's self depressed by thinking. Then, try and think one's way out of the depression by thinking.

Answer 5

I kinda look at it like everyone is "crazy" in one way or another; it all comes down to the morality of ones "cookyness." I mean, really, when our trained specialists are just as "crazy" as the patients they treat, what is "crazy"?

Knowledge is water for the mind, in my opinion. Too much can be a very bad thing, but too little dries ya out.

Answer 6

There are just some questions that we as humans will never know the answer and the more we try and get close we fail to find the answer. Religion will keep us grounded in the end. Simplicty of life....Sometimes we must quiet our minds and let God be our guide in all we do in life.

Answer 7

The influx of massive knowledge gives the brain more and more to think about and try to think about/solve. It's like an "overload" situation.

Answer 8

Because they are too keen to search for knowledge and forget to enjoy themselves...they lived in their world and have moved far from reality...

Answer 9

They go insane because they don't find the answer.

Answer 10

that reminds me when i asked a friend of mine who had millions,
"how does it feel to have everything you want"? and he replied "it sucks, ive done, seen and had everything i ever dreamed of having and now i have no more dreams, and that is the spice of life is having dreams and hopes, id trade places with you anyday.I took him up on his offer but curiously he turned me down....hmmm?