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Is ignorance REALLY bliss?

Maybe bliss is something else entirely.
I found this on Wiki:
Satcitānanda, Satchidānanda, or Sat-cit-ānanda (Sanskrit: सच्चिदानन्द)] "being, consciousness, bliss",[1] is a description of the subjective experience of Brahman. This sublimely blissful experience of the boundless, pure consciousness is a glimpse of ultimate reality.
 

NobodyYouKnow

Misanthropist
Maybe bliss is something else entirely.
I found this on Wiki:
Satcitānanda, Satchidānanda, or Sat-cit-ānanda (Sanskrit: सच्चिदानन्द)] "being, consciousness, bliss",[1] is a description of the subjective experience of Brahman. This sublimely blissful experience of the boundless, pure consciousness is a glimpse of ultimate reality.
When I speak of bliss, I speak of nothing but that which you have just mentioned. That's why I said what I did.
 
I did notice that you are a Vedantist and that is the reason I directed my reply to the person who started the thread.
 

ChristineES

Tiggerism
Premium Member
i was wondering what is some of you guys thoughts on this. personally i feel it is in error.

If there is any bliss associated with ignorance, it would be short lived. I believe that not understanding certain things can lead to misery sometime down the road.

But we're all ignorant of a whole lot of things.
 

dgirl1986

Big Queer Chesticles!
It is bliss for the person who is ignorant, but is a big ball of epic fail to those around the ignorant **** lol.
 

Me Myself

Back to my username
Depends on the person and situation.

Sometimes ignorance is bliss.
Sometimes knowledge is bliss.
Sometimes even misery is bliss.

I think this.

I would generally prefer to know even if it is unpleasant.

I d also rather sacrifice personal bliss for knowledge in many circumstances I guess.
 

InformedIgnorance

Do you 'know' or believe?
Ignorance can make your comprehension more simple or complex, it can make your experience more comfortable or uncomfortable, but it can never make your situation more beneficial. Knowledge provides both opportunities and potential to mitigate threats and even provides power in certain circumstances, ignorance does none of these. Indeed ignorance can remove your awareness of opportunities/threats and it can lead you to believe that non existant opportunities/threats are there, leading to detrimental behaviours. Ignorance facilitates holding incorrect 'knowledge' as being a rational enterprise where it would be irrational were one informed leading one to recognise that the 'knowledge' was incorrect and thus revising their understanding.

Ignorance (in others) may be advantageous, it may facilitate a power difference that allows you to obtain opportunity at the expense of (and exercise power over) others and to reinforce their detrimental behaviours that benefit you. Alternatively it may be disadvantageous as they may be unwilling or unable to grasp information that would allow them to either contribute or at least not obstruct societal progress (technological developments, alterations to societal norms etc) that would benefit you. Ignorance (in others) can be either beneficial or detrimental - depending on how immoral you are and how well their ignorance facilitates your aims; that is why some people are so keen to have others be ignorant.

Ignorance (in your self) may be comforting, it may help you to hold onto false understandings, it may have subjective benefits based on your current world view. Ignorance (in your self) is objectively detrimental.



Determining what germs were was probably not the most blissful episode in the lives of the scientists who pioneered the Germ theory of disease (though it may well have been exciting or validating) - their reduction of ignorance led them to be aware that there were tiny things that no one could easily see all around us which could cause us immense harm, this is hardly the most comforting idea. It was however extremely advantageous - as a result we have managed to strongly mitigate the impact of germs on our lives. Knowledge provides opportunities; Ignorance forgoes.
 
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NobodyYouKnow

Misanthropist
Ignorance can make your comprehension more simple or complex, it can make your experience more comfortable or uncomfortable, but it can never make your situation more beneficial. Knowledge provides both opportunities and potential to mitigate threats and even provides power in certain circumstances, ignorance does none of these. Indeed ignorance can remove your awareness of opportunities/threats and it can lead you to believe that non existant opportunities/threats are there, leading to detrimental behaviours. Ignorance facilitates holding incorrect 'knowledge' as being a rational enterprise where it would be irrational were one informed leading one to recognise that the 'knowledge' was incorrect and thus revising their understanding.

Ignorance (of the other) may be advantageous, it may facilitate a power difference that allows you to obtain opportunity at the expense of (and exercise power over) others and to reinforce their detrimental behaviours that benefit you alternatively it may be disadvantageous as they are unwilling or unable to grasp information that would allow them to either contribute or at least not obstruct societal progress (technological developments, alterations to societal norms etc) that would benefit you. Ignorance (of the other) can be either beneficial or detrimental - depending on how immoral you are and how well their ignorance facilitates your aims; that is why some people are so keen to have others be ignorant.

Ignorance (of the self) may be comforting, it may help you to hold onto false understandings, it may have subjective benefits based on your current world view. Ignorance (of the self) is objectively detrimental.



Determining what germs were was probably not the most blissful episode in the lives of the scientists who pioneered the Germ theory of disease (though it may well have been exciting or validating) - their reduction of ignorance led them to be aware that there were tiny things that no one could easily see all around us which could cause us immense harm, this is hardly the most comforting idea. It was however extremely advantageous - as a result we have managed to strongly mitigate the impact of germs on our lives. Knowledge provides opportunities; Ignorance forgoes.
That is a very nice explanation - frubals coming your way.

How I see it is like this:

Taken to the 'nth degree', my Religion, Vedanta only becomes a futile exercise in combined nihilism and solipsism.

We are led to believe that everything is 'ignorance' (Maya) as opposed to what really 'is' (ParaBrahman) and that is Sat-Chit-Ananda (as WonderWho stated).

So, we forever walk around going 'ne-iti'...'ne-iti'...not this...not that...oh, I see Siva there, but that cannot be Siva because Siva 'doesn't exist', so yeah...not that either...

Oh look... now I am being ignorant of my own ignorance - fine! Just tell me when you are done playing mind games and tell me just who is being 'ignorant' of what so we can move on here...

It's a constant balance between 'becoming' and simply 'being'.

Ignorance is bliss when one is unaware of their own ignorance. It's total hell when they are aware of it but choose to remain ignorant and it's bliss again when they know they are, but choose to remain ignorant of this ignorance.

So, let me love God for just a little while longer before I become 'one' with Him.....
 
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idav

Being
Premium Member
i was wondering what is some of you guys thoughts on this. personally i feel it is in error.

Yes ignorance is bliss if paranoia can be avoided. If I don't know something I might feel a paranoia that I need to know it. So ignorance would have to be accompanied by contentment.
 

psychoslice

Veteran Member
Ignorance is ignorance, if you are ignorant of fire you will be burnt, if you are ignorant of the rules of driving a car you may be killed or kill someone else, and this applies to everything in life.
 

MaxPayne

Brain User
Since bliss is a state of mind then ignorance would definitely contribute to bliss. Let's not confuse ignorance with stupidity. Ignorance is when you do or believe something simply because you don't know any better. Stupidity is when you do it again.
That didn't make any sense.
 

luthfox

New Member
For some, I think ignorance is bliss. It allows them to hold on to their preconceived notions without any chance of them being questioned. For those who are unwilling, or simply can't learn, it can be ideal.

Hi I'm new

Ideal in your term is not always beneficial.

And well, something beneficial is not always considered ideal because we don't simply like it. :D
 

McBell

Unbound
i was wondering what is some of you guys thoughts on this. personally i feel it is in error.

You should check out the Evolution vs Creationism sub-forum.

The staggering number of people who not only ignorant, but willfully ignorant of what Evolution actually is seems to actually confirm that ignorance is bliss.
 
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