Ignorance is Bliss

[Mirage]

Is it? Would you rather be ignorant about something that would upset you otherwise or would you rather know?

There are multiple levels of ignorance. Is knowing as much as possible really that bad?

What does the saying "Ignorance is Bliss" mean to you and do you agree with the statement?

To me, the saying glorifies sweeping things under the rug or avoiding issues, being too sheltered, etc. I think it's better to know the truth than live with a lie or lies.

 

[Chaos]

I think in many cases it is better to be ignorant, if to be ignorant means to be happy, as opposed to being knowledgeable and unhappy. However, I guess it depends on what you're ignorant about, really. For instance, some would rather know about a cheating spouse; some might prefer notto know about an impending meteor about to destroy the earth, or that there is no God, should proof be available. So, it depends mostly on the situation and the feelings of each person, their strength of mind/resolve, and how they'd react, but I guess that would require the foreknowledge of the situation, which kind of defeats the objective of the scenario, really. :hah:

Edit: Think of the Matrix (the first film). Cypher, one of the characters, was so sick of the fighting, and knowing the world he'd grown up with was false, just a computer program, that he betrayed all the good guys just to be placed back into the Matrix - so in that case, ignorance was bliss. But, the rest of the free Humans preferred to know that it was false. So, in that manner it's subjective.

 

[Mirage]

Well that's just it though. You don't exactly get to pick and choose which things you will be ignorant about.

So somebody comes up to you and says "I have some information about your wife cheating on you. Would you like to know or would you prefer to remain ignorant?"

Instead you either don't know or you find out somehow. You don't really get the option. You can have a preference but in the end you don't get to decide when it really matters. :lol:

 

[Paisley]

Edit: Think of the Matrix (the first film). Cypher, one of the characters, was so sick of the fighting, and knowing the world he'd grown up with was false, just a computer program, that he betrayed all the good guys just to be placed back into the Matrix - so in that case, ignorance was bliss. But, the rest of the free Humans preferred to know that it was false. So, in that manner it's subjective.

haha nice one... I am one of these folk who likes to know how far the rabbit hole goes just like alice

 

[Chaos]

Well that's just it though. You don't exactly get to pick and choose which things you will be ignorant about.

So somebody comes up to you and says "I have some information about your wife cheating on you. Would you like to know or would you prefer to remain ignorant?"

Instead you either don't know or you find out somehow. You don't really get the option. You can have a preference but in the end you don't get to decide when it really matters. :lol:

Yeah, that's why I said I wasn't sure. :hah: I think, after considering it, I'd have to go for, no, I'd rather know about it than be ignorant.

 

[Rebeccaaa]

Well, with some things yeah I do think ignorance is bliss. I personally would be more satisfied knowing and being unhappy, than vice versa. But with various situations it's kind of like white lies, sometimes the truth has to be held off for someone's well-being.

I don't think going through your whole life being ignorant is a good thing, I just mean in a few cases. For example, One of my friends hates confrontation and said that if someone didn't like her then she would rather just not know about it, what she doesn't know won't hurt her if she doesn't even really know the person.

But for me, I'd rather know.

 

[ysabel]

For me it's just being selective with the information that we want our brains to handle. There are tons of information out there available but not all are really relevant for us (not a life changing information). Some information are trivial yet may upset, I'd rather not know. Really, what's the purpose? However if it involves important information that we simply reject because of its capacity to hurt us, it's not "ignorance is bliss" for me, it's more simply being in denial.

 

[SuiGeneris]

I would want to know any information relative to me. Yes, in a lot of respects, that would make life more difficult, but it would also make them a little easier as well. "Does Sally Sue like me?" No? Well damn. Moving on.

The thing about it is; as everyone has said, any happiness granted would be a lie. Albeit, if you were ignorant, it wouldn't be a complete lie. You wouldn't know the difference between truth and lies and as long as you always stayed ignorant, then well, hey you wouldn't know. That being said, that type of existance is pathetic in my mind. It's like taking a baby and sheltering him the entire time.

 

[Bliss]

Like Chaos said, if being ignorant means you get to be happy then I'd go for ignorance every time. Some things are better left unknown because they can do more harm than good.
I wouldn't want to go through my whole life like that but there are instances where it's better to be left in the dark.

 

[Nixola]

To be honest, I would rather know about something rather than not know about it. I say this because perhaps if you know about it (even if it upsets you) you could do something about it to make it better?
The phrase ingnorance is bliss means (to me) that you don't know about something because it is perhaps better to not know about it or someone hasn't told you something that they should tell you to spare your feelings. So I would say that I don't agree with the phrase.