by 0 on February 16th, 2010

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Do you think ignorance is bliss? That it is always better not to know?

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by Ringo on February 16th, 2010

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Personally, I prefer knowledge over ignorance. At least on most things. Now, I do want to remain blissfully ignorant about the date of my death.
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- Would you prefer to know...
  
  You are actually adopted and your parents killed your 'true parents'
  /your true parents were sex-addict/psychopath/drop you in a garbage can... or not?
  
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  by 0 on February 16th, 2010
- Wow. That first question is a tough one, but in that case I would want to know. I don't want to live with someone who I think might be a murderer.
  
  In the second question, I would definitely want to know.
  
  Put together, I would definitely want to know. Hope this helps.
  
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  by Ringo on February 16th, 2010
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by drweet on September 2nd, 2011

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Yes because most people who are ignorant don't even realize it.
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by Andy B has left AB on October 19th, 2011
Sometimes, but not always.
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by TSCTH on October 19th, 2011
The original full version actually holds your answer: "Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise."
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by smoothy1 on October 19th, 2011
Thats a perfect question to ask registered democrats. They have been living it for at least 3 years now.
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by nest on October 19th, 2011
It's only bliss when one isn't really aware of what isn't taken notice of. Once that happens ignorance will never be anything nice.
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by DA BEN DAN yanggui zi on October 19th, 2011
NO..it isn't bliss very long if you find that you have some disease or cancer that could have been cured if detected early enough:(
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by A on October 19th, 2011
No.
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by Thriftymaid on October 19th, 2011
It rarely is.
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by CatyGeeky on October 19th, 2011
If you are religious, yes.
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by Wynper on October 19th, 2011
As evidenced by some AB posters...apparently so.
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by HoboJoe on May 17th, 2011
lalalala la la What?
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by RosieGHM Jetpacker on February 17th, 2010
For some things yes. If knowing provides nothing positive it is better not to know. For example...a woman's husband dies. She is told later by a "friend" that he was having an affair. There is nothing positive about having her learn about that.... it hurts her and she has nowhere to go with that hurt. That would be cruel in my opinion. Happy Wednesday! :)
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by lindisfarne on February 16th, 2010
So, can I be happy while I ignore reality? I tried this all 25 years of my using. I ignored being responsible for understanding and applying reality while hiding behind the mask of as much of anything I could get my hands on. That reality I did not ignore. The "bliss" it provided was very temporary which brings me to the point. Any happiness (bliss) being ignorant provides one lasts only as long as one chooses to remain in their ignorance. Is reality bliss? Who told you that life would be a bowl of cherries? Cry, laugh, endure the pains, eat, defecate, sleep, work your butt off for a buck or two, pay your bills, and pay your dues. Life can be a bear. You suck it up and deal with it or wallow in your blissful ignorance. But when you die in it... As far as "always" better? Okay, your body starts to experience some strange pain in your abdomen, perhaps. It gets progressively worse over a month or two but you won't see a doctor for fear of a terminal diagnosis. How long will your ignorant bliss carry you? The etymology of "ignorance" is essentially this: ignore + ance. Do you see the implication? If you ignore something then you are choosing to not think about that something you know you should be thinking about. And...GOD FORBID...MAYBE EVEN "DO" SOMETHING ABOUT!! See how blissful you are when someone asks you to be accountable for your indifference/ignorance.
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by leeks5229 on September 4th, 2009
No, ignorance is not really bliss. Through ignorance we sin, act without knowing and conform to evil desires.
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- In order to be able to sin we must actually believe. Just because we are ignorant does not mean we live life without morals and 'conform to evil desires'. How is this rationally related in any way? Or how is ignorant synonymous to sin or acting without knowing? How is this related? Are you a spin doctor?
  
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  by melencoly on September 4th, 2009
- At the Cross Jesus said these words in Luke 23:34 "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." It was their ignorance of who He was which demanded Jesus Christ to be crucified.
  
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  by leeks5229 on September 4th, 2009
- So then your definition of ignorance is to not believe in Jesus. Would you say a Buddist or a Hindi are ignorant? And they live in sin? And conform to evil desires? All that because they don't believe in Jesus? You seem to define sin as not believing in Jesus. Those people live by almost the exact same moral standard as any Christian their only real difference is that the believe in a different God. I'm not convinced that He the God that you speak of would be so quick to condemn those. Besides wasn't it Tich Nat Han who said in order to be a great Christian he would need to be a great Buddhist and in order to be a great Buddhist you need to be a great Christian. He was essentially indicating that they share morals and if you follow the teachings of either, and not just the image of your god, then you will live a very similar life with the same morals. Ignorant is not not believing in your god, it's not having an open mind, and heart, to others.
  
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  by melencoly on September 4th, 2009
- Please do not get me wrong. My reference was to the Jewish religious leaders who demanded Jesus to be crucified. In Jesus' own words they did out of ignorance.
  
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  by leeks5229 on September 5th, 2009
- I assumed because you used a quote that that is what you believed. I have checked many of your other answers to other questions and there seems to be allot of biblical references. If it is not what you mean they why use the quotes? Besides your original answer was pretty clear about what we do when we are ignorant, and your second answer was clear about who is ignorant.
  
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  by melencoly on September 5th, 2009
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by Andrew on July 23rd, 2009
You generally don't know, until you are out of the bliss. Trucking along, good mood going, then someone enlightens you to something you didn't know and blows your mood to heck for the rest of the day.
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- Indeed. Thank you for your answer.
  
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  by Sphinxglow on July 23rd, 2009
- you are welcome
  
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  by Andrew on July 23rd, 2009
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by KATTALNUVA on July 23rd, 2009
Everyone, when were children we were blind to how bad and hard life can be, but now that I'm all grown up I have to face the facts and accept that the world is cruel and life is hard.
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- Hmm...true. Growing up is hard though, even with the ignorance. We think ignorance is bliss because things we are aware of now we weren't beforehand. But if we didn't have that awareness now, we wouldn't be able to appreciate the 'bliss' of childhood. So...is ignorance bliss, or is it the opposite? I think this may be a paradox.
  
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  by Sphinxglow on July 23rd, 2009
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by Marguerite on July 23rd, 2009
They don't. They are always in the realm of bliss without knowing it is bliss.
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- But how do you know they are experiencing bliss?
  
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  by Sphinxglow on July 23rd, 2009
- If they are really dumb, they are experiencing bliss, because ignorance is bliss, so if you are ignorant you are in the state of bliss whether you understand it or not.
  
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  by Marguerite on July 23rd, 2009
- 'Bliss - a state of ecstatic happiness and contentment'
  
  'Ignorance - having little or no knowledge'
  
  These are different definitions, so what makes you think that an ignorant person is a happy person?
  
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  by Sphinxglow on July 23rd, 2009
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by Sphinxglow on July 23rd, 2009
><
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by bye bye on September 3rd, 2009
What you don't see can often hurt you.
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by Marky Mark on September 3rd, 2009
Yes, but only when it's folly to be wise.
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by Baba on September 3rd, 2011
no
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by Macy on May 17th, 2011
Anyone can have bliss until a problem arises due to their ignorance. Knowledge is power and we should all want it. But, we can never change what we don't acknowledge.
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by Big F on May 17th, 2011
I don't know what bliss is, and ignorance has a couple of definitions so I can't tack this one down.
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by Marky Mark on February 17th, 2010
The way I see it is...There are things I need to know and there are things I do not need to know. I will err on the side of knowing too much but if something is going to bother me and there's nothing I can do about (or nothing I should do about it) it then I would rather not know about it. I think its important for your mental health and performance that you don't concern yourself with things that "you shouldn't concern yourself with". The trick is to focus on the important things that you need to focus on and disregard the pointless clutter.
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by iwnit on February 16th, 2010
1) I am not sure you are going to like the answer. Do you really want to know?

2) I answered here a somewhat different question about this saying:
http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/2975682
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by Anonymous on February 16th, 2010
Yes, ignorance is bliss. Now you know. And there goes your bliss. You should have never read this answer.
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by The Anonymous Witch on May 17th, 2011
it seems so ... there are alot of happy christians ... and as soon as you teach them the truth .. they get mad .

so yeah .
;-)
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- "The truth" lol. According to TAW, of course :)
  
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  by drequeen on May 17th, 2011
- but of course.
  the same actual truth that can't be changed , it just is ;-)
  
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  by The Anonymous Witch on May 17th, 2011
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by iwnit on May 17th, 2011
I don't really know.
;-)

Alternatively, look at those answers of mine:
http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/3199432
http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/2975682
http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/8697656
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by Timjon on September 2nd, 2011
Sometimes
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by dustinthewind on September 2nd, 2011
I'm gonna keep u in the dark about my
answer, how does that make u feel? :)
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by for_the_city on September 2nd, 2011
No. You expose yourself to dangers, then, you say , If only I had known, I never would have done that.
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by Lazs Mouse on September 2nd, 2011
No. The more you are aware of what is going on around you the better off you are. That doesn't mean that you need to tell all you know, however.
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by iwnit on September 15th, 2011
Here my answer to another question about this saying:
http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/2975682

Some similar questions:
"Do you think ignorance is bliss? That it is always better not to know?
by 0 on February 16th, 2010 | 2 people like this | 7 answers

Do you believe the saying "ignorance is bliss"?
by Nam1310 on January 25th, 2007 | 5 people like this | 53 answers

Do you belive in the saying "ignorance is bliss"? Does thinking philosophically make a person realize that there is no reliable ideal?
by 7ate9 on February 22nd, 2009 | one answer

"Ignorance is Bliss" or "Knowledge is Power" which do you accept?
by Brahmanyan on February 4th, 2008 | 28 people like this | 47 answers

Would you agree that ignorance is bliss?
by Wisdom Tooth on November 20th, 2008 | 9 people like this | 9 answers

What do you of the statement; Ignorance is bliss.?
by Its Mr.ProfessorDr. Sir on August 19th, 2011 | 2 people like this | 7 answers

Is ignorance really bliss? Can you name an example where this is the case?
by Shoes untied on September 25th, 2008 | 3 people like this | 6 answers"
Source and further information:
http://www.answerbag.com/search?&q=Do+u+really+think+ignorance+is+bliss&cook_test=1
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- thanx 4 the info !
  
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  by TELLITASITIS on September 15th, 2011
- TELLITASITIS: you are welcome!
  
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  by iwnit on September 15th, 2011
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Do you think ignorance is bliss? That it is always better not to know?

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